Ukraine’s Rada votes to deprive MP Trukhin of deputy’s seat
Oleksandr Trukhin (Photo:Oleksandr Trukhin/Facebook)
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has voted to deprive Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Trukhin of his deputy’s seat, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said via the Telegram messenger on Feb. 23.
According to Zheleznyak, 288 lawmakers supported the relevant decision. Trukhin earlier submitted a relevant statement requesting that he have his deputy mandate removed.
Earlier, Trukhin entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors, pleading guilty to attempting to bribe a police officer at the scene of a road accident. According to the deal, the lawmaker undertakes to pay UAH 6 million ($164,075) to the Armed Forces of Ukraine within a month, as well as a UAH 68,000 ($1,860) fine.
Trukhin was involved in the road accident on Aug. 23, 2021.
On Feb. 1, the Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper published an interview with the police officer who first arrived at the scene and footage from his body camera. According to the video, Trukhin offered to “thank” the police officer with UAH 150,000 ($4,102), tried to leave the scene, and refused to undergo a drug test.
Later, the State Bureau of Investigation published a video from CCTV cameras, judging by which, the person responsible for the accident was dressed in red clothes (the assistant of a member of the Poltava Regional Council, Viktor Sklema, while Trukhin himself was dressed in a suit and a white shirt).
In August 2022, the Poltavshchyna media outlet reported that Sklema had been found guilty of causing the accident and had been fined UAH 850 ($23).
On Dec. 22, 2022, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office sent the relevant case to the court.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the
world. Support
us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
