Ukraine opens court proceedings against party leader over bribery allegations VIDEO

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) of Ukraine has begun a hearing to determine a pre-trial measure for Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna party, who is suspected of offering undue benefits to members of parliament.

On January 16 the prosecutor filed a motion requesting the application of a preventive measure in the form of bail amounting to UAH 50 million ($1, 151,000) for Tymoshenko, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) formally notified Tymoshenko of suspicion on January 14.

As stated by the investigation, after NABU and SAP uncovered facts in December 2025 indicating that Ukrainian members of parliament had received undue benefits for adopting decisions on draft laws, “the suspect initiated negotiations with individual people’s deputies regarding the introduction of a systemic mechanism for providing undue benefits in exchange for loyal behavior during voting.”

“It was not about one-time agreements, but about a regular mechanism of cooperation, which provided for advance payments and was designed for a long period. Members of parliament were supposed to receive instructions on voting, and in some cases—on abstaining or not participating in the vote,” SAP reported.

The actions are being investigated under Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which concerns the offer, promise, or provision of undue benefits to an official.

By Vafa Guliyeva