Shufrych takes part in Verkhovna Rada committee meeting and may still be eligible for salary
MP Nestor Shufrych, who is suspected of high treason, had the legal right to take part remotely in a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, of which he is a member.
This was stated in a comment to Censor.NET by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the committee and an MP from Holos.
Details
"Under Ukrainian law, an MP, even if under suspicion, or even with a first-instance court verdict that is being appealed, retains all the powers of a member of parliament, can attend committee meetings, submit bills, and vote. The grounds for deprivation of a mandate are set out in the Constitution, so changing this is quite difficult. At the same time, nothing prevents representatives of the majority, understanding that pro-Russian political forces are a threat to the country’s national security, from suspending them from work in committees. There are such bills in parliament. But given the synchronized voting of former parts of the Opposition Platform — For Life, with the majority, the chances of their adoption are minimal," he said.
The politician recalled that Shufrych’s measure of restraint had been changed, so he is now under house arrest.
"Therefore, under the Rules of Procedure, he is obliged to join all committee meetings remotely. And the committee, accordingly, is obliged to ensure that he has the opportunity to join. Today, he supported all the bills and the draft resolution on establishing a Day of Remembrance for the Executed Renaissance that were submitted for consideration. That is, he performed his functions. In his closing remarks, he mentioned our colleague Serhii Shvets, who died of illness a little over a year ago.
Why Mr. Shufrych appeared at the committee only now, given that he has been under house arrest for quite a long time, I will not undertake to explain. But the question is how ethical it is that people who represent pro-Russian political forces and are suspected of high treason have the opportunity to influence the creation of laws. From my point of view, we must respond to this somehow. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of parliamentarians, even though they have mechanisms to suspend such MPs from committee work, are not ready to support such an initiative," Yurchyshyn stressed.
The MP also noted that Shufrych cannot take part in Verkhovna Rada plenary meetings, since personal attendance is required there, but he can join committee meetings remotely, submit bills, and also claim a salary, as it is tied to committee work.
Shufrych's case
We recall that Shufrych and his aide will stand trial for financing Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardia) in occupied Crimea. Earlier, former MP from the banned Opposition Platform — For Life, Nestor Shufrych, was served a notice of suspicion for high treason.
According to the investigation, he closely cooperated with and carried out tasks for former NSDC secretary Volodymyr Sivkovych, an FSB agent whose task was to coordinate Russia’s agent network in Ukraine. It was also reported that the court ordered that the suspected traitor Shufrych be ensured the ability to perform his parliamentary duties.
