Ukrainian Officials Arrested in ‘Large Scale’ Bribery Scheme

Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies uncovered a major graft scheme in the procurement of military drones and electronic warfare equipment, two days after their independence was restored in a humiliating U-turn for Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president had pushed through a controversial bill that removed the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (Sapo), placing them under the control of the General Prosecutor’s Office, which is led by Zelensky loyalists and mistrusted by many Ukrainians.

Thousands of protesters descended onto the streets of Kyiv last week, and there was mounting pressure from top European officials, who warned Ukraine was jeopardising its bid for EU membership.

The law was reversed days ago in the Ukrainian parliament and on Saturday, Mr Zelensky announced that the agencies had arrested an MP in his ruling party and the head of a local district administration.

“It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law passed on Thursday guarantees them all the tools necessary for a real fight against corruption,” the Ukrainian president said in a statement posted on X, along with pictures of him meeting with the heads of the agencies.

“[Nabu] Director Semen Kryvonos and Head of the [Sapo] Oleksandr Klymenko delivered a report,” he wrote. “A Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard service members, were exposed for bribery. I am grateful to the anti-corruption agencies for their work.”

“There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork in uncovering it, and ultimately, a fair sentence.”

In a statement published by both agencies, Nabu and Sapo also said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes.

“Today, a number of operations were carried out to expose individuals involved in committing a corruption-related crime. The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices,” it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30 per cent of a contract’s cost. Four people have been arrested.

A spokesperson for Nabu added that the operation was “made possible” by the bill which Mr Zelensky signed into law earlier this week, reversing the previous contentious bill.

“This operation is an example of how institutional support and high-level teamwork contribute to real change. We thank the president of Ukraine for supporting the independent anti-corruption infrastructure.”

One of the individuals detained was Oleksiy Kuznetsov, an MP from Mr Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People party, the Financial Times reported. Serhiy Haidai, head of the Mukachevo district, was reportedly also arrested.

Allies warned Zelensky

Mr Zelensky and Andriy Yermak, his powerful chief of staff, had claimed last week that they had rushed through the original bill to counter Russian interference within the corruption agencies.

However, critics alleged the step had been designed to protect his political allies from prosecution.

Kyiv’s western allies, including France, warned the Ukrainian president against following through with the reforms.

MPs on Thursday voted 331 to 0 in favour of the new bill in Kyiv’s 450-seat legislature to restore their political independence.

That was not before two MPs descended into a public brawl in the chamber before others broke up the tussle.

Eradicating graft and shoring up the rule of law are key requirements for Kyiv to join the EU, which Ukrainians see as critical to their future as they fend off a Russian invasion.

Around 70 MPs from Mr Zelensky’s ruling party had expressed doubt over the fresh bill over fears of “revenge” from the anti-corruption agencies. Mr Zelensky’s ruling party had expressed doubt over the fresh bill over fears of “revenge” from the anti-corruption agencies.