Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency said security services tried to prevent officers from raiding parliament offices on Saturday, as investigators said some MPs were implicated in a new inquiry.
The anti-corruption detectives were later allowed into the heavily guarded compound where the parliament was located, Ukraine’s State Security Department said on social media.
Ukraine has been embroiled in a string of corruption scandals that led to the resignation of the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, including a US$100 million kickback scheme in the battered energy sector, masterminded by an alleged personal friend of the president.
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“Nabu and Sapo, following an undercover operation, exposed an organised criminal group that included current members of parliament,” the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said, using its acronym and that of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
“Employees of the State Security Department are resisting Nabu officers during investigative actions in committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” it added, referring to Ukraine’s parliament.
The agency did not reveal details of the investigation, but said suspects took bribes for votes.
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