Lawmaker accused of illegally acquiring close to $300,000

A member of the Ukrainian parliament has been accused of abusing his position to enrich himself by around Hr 11 million (around $280,000), the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said on May 2.

NABU did not mention the name of the suspect, but Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources, that it was Andrii Klochko, a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently confirm that Klochko is the accused in question.

According to the NABU investigation, carried out jointly with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), the lawmaker acquired assets with a total value of Hr 25 million ($633,000) over 2020-2021, although he and his wife's joint reported income and savings totaled only Hr 14 million ($354,000).

The investigation revealed that the lawmaker reportedly acquired several luxury vehicles, five apartments in Kyiv, and other land plots during this time period.

NABU wrote that the lawmaker attempted to launder his illegally obtained wealth by nominally distributing it to his relatives, but ensuring that he retained full control over the assets.

Ukraine has a system of compulsory asset declarations that was originally instituted as part of the country's fight against corruption following the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution. At the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the requirement for submitting e-declarations was suspended.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law in October 2023 to resume asset declarations for officials and immediately make them publicly accessible.

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