Parliament paralyzed by constant corruption probes, lawmaker says
Ukrainian parliament (Photo: facebook.com/bezuhlamariana)
Many ruling Servant
of the People party MPs are reluctant to engage in parliamentary debate and
voting out of fear of attracting the ire of anti-corruption agencies, Ukrainian
MP and Security Committee member Fedir Venislavskyi told NV Radio on March 16.
“Some MPs are demotivated because the National Anti-Corruption Bureau [NABU] or other law enforcement agencies draw up some [bribery] charges against them for voting [in the parliament], that is indeed happening," Venislavskyi said.
At the same time, he said there is no reason to suggest the Ukraine is in a parliamentary dysfunction crisis. He then said that MPs, like other citizens, can be accused of crimes only after a court conviction.
“Until there is a guilty verdict, conducting searches and other procedural actions and publishing them contradicts international law, the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, and above all creates the negative image we have been talking about,” he said.
“Officials and leaders of law enforcement agencies should understand what such accusations against MPs can lead to.”
On March 13, Servant of the People deputy party chair
Andriy Motovilovets told Forbes Ukraine that about 40 MPs are ready to give up
their mandates and that it has become increasingly difficult to marshal votes
for key bills.
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