"Servant of People" MP Tyshchenko faces pre-trial measure in case involving extortion of $1 million. Live updates
The High Anti-Corruption Court is deciding on a preventive measure for MP Mykola Tyshchenko.
This was reported by Censor.NET.
Details
According to the prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), from 1 July 2023, Tyshchenko "began taking active steps aimed at interfering with the activities of so-called ‘call centres’".
"He began contacting law enforcement agencies with reports of crimes being committed by participants in this market. He initiated urgent investigative measures, followed by photographic and video documentation, which was subsequently disseminated online," he noted.
Furthermore, according to him, between 31 July 2023 and 23 August 2023, Tishchenko made 19 calls to the ‘102’ helpline regarding the activities of call centres in various districts of Kyiv.
The SAPO noted that Tyshchenko decided to ask Levchenko for an unlawful benefit—a separate monthly monetary payment. This included a one-time payment for each specific instance in which Tyshchenko acted in Levchenko’s interests, as well as a one-time payment as a precondition for establishing cooperation with Levchenko.
On August 2, 2023, Tyshchenko requested, over the phone, an unlawful benefit in exchange for taking actions aimed at further publicizing, interfering with, and discrediting the activities of certain call centers in Levchenko’s interests.
"On August 2, 2023, during a phone conversation with Liashko, he requested that an illegal benefit in the amount of 1 million U.S. dollars be provided for subsequent transfer to unidentified individuals," the prosecutor said.
According to the prosecution, on the same day, realizing that Levchenko had not agreed to these terms, Tyshchenko proposed a different amount—25,000 euros—for carrying out the actions. He emphasized that this sum was to be provided for each separate instance in which Tyshchenko carried out such actions.
The MP requested 100,000 euros per month for taking actions aimed at interfering with the operations of and discrediting certain call centers in Levchenko’s interests.
"On August 14, 2023, also during a phone conversation, he requested that Levchenko provide an unlawful benefit of 200,000 euros for carrying out actions aimed at interfering with the operations of and discrediting certain call centers in Levchenko’s interests. In total, the amount requested by Tyshchenko during all conversations exceeds the equivalent of 51 million hryvnias," the prosecutor noted.
However, the prosecution notes that on August 23, 2023, without any unlawful benefit having been transferred, Tyshchenko’s activities were halted due to circumstances beyond his control.
Bribes
"He did not receive any unlawful benefit, but his actions meet the criteria for a criminal offense," he added.
At the same time, Andrii Serhiiovych Liashok was questioned and described the circumstances of how he met Tyshchenko.
"He (Liashok) also described the circumstances of repeated meetings and the transfer of funds to Tyshchenko as charitable donations in various amounts—$100,000, $80,000—all in cash. He confirms that he transferred the funds. He also confirms the transfer to him of 40,000 euros on multiple occasions, as well as $20,000, $60,000 in June 2022, and 80,000 euros in August 2022," says the prosecution.
One of the witnesses stated that in early August 2023, Tyshchenko called him and said he was a member of the Temporary Investigation Commission investigating the activities of call centers.
"He mentioned that he knew Yehor had business interests in this sector and began hinting that he could help him with his activities in this field. He began calling repeatedly and continuing the conversation on this topic. During these conversations, he stated that, together with law enforcement officials and with the support of the courts, he visits call centers, conducts searches, publicizes such actions in the media, and disrupts their operations. He also claimed that he had the ability to influence such actions—specifically, to either intensify or halt them, or direct them to specific locations—as well as to "take over" such call centers for the benefit of other individuals," the prosecutor said.
In a conversation with Yehor Tyshchenko also referred to $1 million—for the sake of secrecy—as "one big one." He also referred to the amount as "a big constante."
The witness described a conversation in August 2023 during which, amid discussions about the Temporary Investigation Commission (TIC), Tishchenko proposed that funds amounting to "50 Jews" be transferred to him on a regular basis, that is, 50,000 euros per month in exchange for Tyshchenko—in his capacity as a member of parliament and a member of the TIC—maintaining friendly relations with Yehor.
In exchange for not interfering with the call center’s operations, Tyshchenko also offered to pay Yehor "200 Jews," that is, 200,000 euros.
For 25,000 euros, Tyshchenko promised that law enforcement agencies and judges would take actions aimed at shutting down a specifically identified call center.
"Also, after Tyshchenko, accompanied by law enforcement officials, visited one of the call centers that, in Tyshchenko’s opinion, was controlled by Yehor, Tyshchenko made an offer to pay ‘50 Jews’ to have a video removed from Tyshchenko’s Telegram channel—a video showing the faces of employees at that call center—and ‘50 flowers,’ that is, 50,000 U.S. dollars in exchange for removing the military personnel who had blocked access to the call center’s premises," the prosecutor said.
The witness stated that he had recorded all this information on his cell phone and is prepared to voluntarily hand it over.
The prosecutor's office received a response to its inquiry to the National Police regarding how many times Tyshchenko had contacted law enforcement.
There were 50 such reports and complaints.
Legalization of assets
According to the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the MP also legalized 12.6 million hryvnias of illicit origin. Tyshchenko drew up a fictitious gift agreement with his ex-wife, Alla Baranovska.
Prosecutors stated that Baranovska did not have any legal income to make such a gift, and no actual transfer of funds took place.
However, Tyshchenko reported this income in his annual financial disclosure statement, thereby intentionally including knowingly false information in it, the SAPO added.
Pre-trial measure
The prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is requesting that a pre-trial measure be imposed in the form of detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of over 19 million hryvnias.
The defense’s position
The attorney considers the allegation unfounded and an attempt to put pressure on the People’s Deputy. He requests that the motion be denied.
The defense attorney also noted that NABU is conducting the investigation and prosecution in collaboration with an organization called "Khimprom," which is allegedly attempting to discredit Tyshchenko.
Commenting on the agreement regarding the transfer of funds from his ex-wife, Alla Baranovska, he said that the agreement was officially concluded and notarized.
Charges against Tyshchenko
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have announced that they have placed Mykola Tyshchenko, a sitting Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, under suspicion of soliciting an unlawful benefit.
Another case involving Tyshchenko
- On 20 June 2024, in the city of Dnipro, a group of unknown assailants attacked Dmytro Pavlov (Son), a former member of the Kraken special forces unit, whilst he was out walking with his child. Footage shows that the security detail of MP Mykola Tyshchenko, with whom Pavlov had had an argument, was allegedly involved in the incident.
- The controversial video from Dnipro, in which MP Mykola Tyshchenko’s security detail attacked the former soldier and unlawfully detained him, also featured the MP’s assistant, Evelina Andriyevska.
- On the morning of 25 June, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported that MP Mykola Tyshchenko had been served with a notice of suspicion in connection with the events in Dnipro on 20 June. The agency stated that the MP had been served with a notice of suspicion on the grounds of the unlawful deprivation of the victim’s liberty (Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- The court imposed a preventive measure on Tyshchenko – round-the-clock house arrest with the wearing of an electronic monitoring device.
- Subsequently, the MP’s pre-trial measure was changed to a personal undertaking.
