Ukrainian MP Andrii Odarchenko, suspected of bribery, now on wanted list

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) of Ukraine has put Andrii Odarchenko, MP from the Servant of the People (Sluha Narodu) party, on the national and international wanted lists, as he is accused of attempting to bribe the management of the country's Ministry of Reconstruction. Earlier it was reported that Odarchenko had fled abroad.

Source: the HACC session on 19 September

Quote: "The court ruled that the request of the prosecutor to put the accused Odarchenko on the national and international wanted list shall be granted.

The accused Andrii Odarchenko, born on 2 November 1978, a native of Kharkiv, shall be put on the national and international wanted list."

Details: The judge emphasised that the decision comes into force from the moment it is announced and is therefore not subject to appeal.

The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reiterated that on 18 September Odarchenko did not appear in court and did not inform either the court or the prosecutor of the reasons for his absence. The MP was scheduled to be questioned in court on that date.

The defence of the accused also failed to inform the court about the whereabouts of their client, stating that there was no contact with him at the moment.

The court will consider the prosecutor's motion to forfeit the bail paid by Odarchenko to the state and change the measure of restraint to a stricter one on 23 September.

Background:

• On 21 November 2023, Andrii Odarchenko was served with a notice of suspicion by SAPO and NABU for attempting to bribe Mustafa Naiiem, Head of the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development.
• The MP wanted funding for repairs at a university where he was chancellor (his contract has been suspended) to be allocated from the Fund for Elimination of Consequences of Armed Aggression.
• In November 2023, the court imposed on the MP a preventive measure in the form of detention with an alternative of UAH 15 million (US$360,000) bail.
• Odarchenko made the bail. He was also imposed with the relevant procedural obligations, including giving up his passports for travelling abroad and wearing an electronic monitoring device.

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