Former "Servant of People" MP Yurchenko sentenced to 9 years in prison with partial asset confiscation for bribery
The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) found Oleksandr Yurchenko, an MP elected from the "Servant of the People" party, guilty of bribery and sentenced him to nine years in prison. The case had been ongoing since 2020.
The Anti-Corruption Action Centre reported this, according to Censor.NET.
Court ruling
Yurchenko was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison, a three-year ban on holding certain positions, and confiscation of part of his property.
He was convicted under the article on the acceptance of an offer, promise, or undue benefit by an official (Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
He was also found guilty of trading in influence (Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced to an additional four years in prison. However, he was exempted from liability under that article because the statute of limitations had expired.
According to the prosecution, Yurchenko covertly asked for USD 10,000 in "goodies" to be passed to him through his assistant, as well as another USD 200,000 for committee members. The case had been heard by HACC since 2021. In 2024, the proceedings had to be restarted because of a judge's replacement, and there was a risk this would happen again this summer. However, the HACC panel managed to complete the proceedings and deliver its verdict.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reacted to the MP's case at the time. He said that "every official, minister and MP should have a simple truth branded on them somewhere in large letters: if you steal, you will go to prison; if you take bribes, you will go to prison."
"I am glad that they detained a person who always said in the 'Servant of the People' party that he was honest and decent. Today, the Prosecutor General notified him of suspicion; he received it, and he will definitely go to prison," Zelenskyy said.
Yurchenko is now the third sitting MP to receive an actual prison sentence from HACC. The verdict may still be appealed.
DETAILS OF THE YURCHENKO CASE
- Recall that in September 2020, several Ukrainian media outlets, citing sources, reported that NABU had allegedly caught Ivan Fishchenko, an assistant to "Servant of the People" MP Oleksandr Yurchenko, taking a bribe. The same information was also published by Geo Leros, an MP who had recently been expelled from the "Servant of the People" faction.
- On 15 September, NABU published operational materials in which MP "Yu" and an undercover NABU detective discussed the possibility of amending a bill in exchange for "help for ecology" and "goodies."
- Also on 15 September, Yurchenko's assistant was notified of suspicion of aiding an MP in receiving an undue benefit.
- The Anti-Corruption Court remanded Fishchenko, Yurchenko's assistant, who had been caught taking a bribe, in custody, with UAH 1.5 million bail as an alternative.
- Also on 17 September, Yurchenko left the faction.
- The SAPO press service reported that Yurchenko had been served with a notice of suspicion. Prosecutors would ask the court to remand him in pre-trial detention with UAH 6.5 million bail as an alternative.
- On 21 September, HACC imposed a preventive measure on Oleksandr Yurchenko, an MP suspected of bribery, in the form of pre-trial detention with UAH 3 million bail as an alternative.
- On 25 September 2020, it became known that UAH 3 million in bail had been posted for "Servant of the People" MP Oleksandr Yurchenko.
