Ukraine’s parliament has stripped a lawmaker accused of misappropriating more than $60 million of his immunity.
The Verkhovna Rada on July 5 voted separately three motions to allow Oleksandr Onyshchenko’s prosecution, detention, and arrest.
“The real fight against corruption has started in Ukraine,” Tetyana Chornovol, a legislator from the People’s Front party of former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said after the vote.
Onyshchenko, a former member of ousted President Viktor Yanukovych’s party, has fled Ukraine.
He said on Facebook that he was in Austria.
He added that he feared for his life, saying “a lot of people from the government would not be very happy if I spoke.”
Onyshchenko is charged in a 1.6 billion hryvnia ($64 million) natural gas fraud at state energy company PAT Ukrhazvydobuvannya.
Clamping down on corruption is a focus of Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman’s government, which took power in April after delays in tackling the problem sparked resignations within the administration and sparked criticism from voters and international creditors.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
In Russia's War Economy, The Warning Lights Are Blinking
2RFE/RL Reveals Chilling New Details Of Bucha Massacre As Ukraine Marks 1,000 Days Of War
3Putin Says Russia Fired New Intermediate Missile At Ukraine After ICBM Accusations
4Steps Too Far As Moscow, Washington Cross 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine?
5Wider Europe Briefing: Georgia's Vanishing EU Dreams
6Ukraine Live Briefing: Kyiv Loses 40 Percent Of Land Held In Russia's Kursk Region, Says Military Source
7Dutch Deliver Final 2 F-16 Jets, As Germany, U.S. Set New Ukraine Aid Packages
8The Far-Right Firebrand Too Dangerous To Run For Romania's Presidency
9Russia Says Ukraine Used ATACMS Against Military Target In Bryansk
10Danish Military Keeps Watch On Chinese Ship Suspected Of Baltic Cable Sabotage
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
