The use of people's deputies to promote the private interests of large companies poses a systemic threat to the economic security of the state and contradicts the principles of parliamentarism. This is exactly the example demonstrated by People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh, as his public activity as the head of the subcommittee on pharmacy raises more and more questions about whose interests he represents, writes UNN.
Details
UNN journalists, having spoken with representatives of the pharmaceutical market and sources close to the family of the owners of the "Darnytsia" plant, Kateryna and Hlib Zahorii, found out that at the beginning of summer 2024, the Zahoriis developed a market redistribution plan, the goal of which is to displace small producers, eliminate large distributors, and shift responsibility for high drug prices to pharmacy chains. The implementation of this plan would be impossible without political support, so, according to sources, "Darnytsia" turned to People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh, a long-time acquaintance of the family and head of the pharmacy subcommittee.
The first stage was a campaign against pharmacy marketing, which was presented in the public space as the main reason for price "markups". As a result of public pressure, the Ministry of Health was forced to limit marketing, but the promised price reduction did not happen - manufacturers, including "Darnytsia", reduced the cost of only a few drugs from the TOP-100 list, while prices for other drugs remained unchanged or began to rise. At the same time, "Darnytsia's" profit, according to various estimates, increased by half a billion hryvnias monthly.
Despite the fact that the promised effect for patients was not achieved, Kuzminykh continues to openly promote the interests of "Darnytsia" - both through social networks, and through controlled media, and at closed meetings. In addition, according to journalists, the charitable foundation co-founded by Kuzminykh received significant sums from the fund of the Zahorii family - co-owners of "Darnytsia". This even became the subject of a check by the NACP.
The founder of the law firm "Kasyanenko and Partners" Dmytro Kasyanenko, in an exclusive comment to UNN, noted that such a situation may indicate abuse of influence.
The situation may indicate the presence of signs of a crime provided for in Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - "abuse of influence". In particular, if a people's deputy, using his status as the head of a relevant subcommittee, acts not in the interests of the state or society, but in the interests of a separate business entity with which he has or had close ties - such behavior can be qualified as illegal use of influence.
In addition, according to him, participation in lobbying commercial interests in the presence of financial or other interconnections (such as receiving significant funds by charitable foundations associated with the deputy) may have signs of a real or potential conflict of interest, which is subject to verification by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
As for the general practice of using people's deputies to promote the private interests of large companies - such behavior, in its essence, is an abuse of power and poses a systemic threat to the economic security of the state. It contradicts the principles of parliamentarism and should be the subject of public condemnation and legal assessment.
Taken together, the facts presented by journalists indicate serious risks of using the parliamentary powers of People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh for private interests. In view of this, law enforcement agencies, in particular the State Bureau of Investigation, should provide a legal assessment of these actions and check whether there was an abuse of power or use of influence for personal or corporate interests.