Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, who was summoned to the Verkhovna Rada yesterday by MPs over alleged corruption by his deputy, Dmytro Verbytskyi, refused to appear in the parliament. Kostin argued that he had ordered an internal investigation into Verbytskyi's property, and that the National Agency for Prevention was conducting an inspection and NABU detectives had opened a criminal investigation into the matter. This was reported by UNN with reference to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, according to UNN.
Details
"So, as per Kostin's call. The Parliament has officially sent the Prosecutor General an invitation to appear today at 12:00. The Prosecutor General decided not to respond to this summons and not to explain the investigation by Skhemy journalists and the NABU into the illicit enrichment of his deputy Verbytskyi. That is, the Prosecutor General officially hid from the summons of the Parliament," Zheleznyak said.
He added that Kostin's summons was official, and that the court is now considering whether this is a violation of Article 351 of the Criminal Code "Obstruction of the Activities of People's Deputies of Ukraine" regarding the failure of an official to comply with the lawful demands of people's deputies of Ukraine.
Later, Zheleznyak published a letter signed by Kostin, in which he explained the reasons for his non-appearance at the Verkhovna Rada, in particular because he had ordered an internal investigation into the property of Deputy Prosecutor General Verbytskyi, which is still ongoing.
The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is also conducting an investigation into the lifestyle of the official concerned. The detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings over Verbytskyi's possible illicit enrichment on the grounds of a crime under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
"Given the above circumstances, it seems appropriate to postpone the discussion of this situation in the Verkhovna Rada until the results of the internal investigation are available. This will help ensure the completeness and objectivity of the relevant information," the letter says.
Recall
MPs summoned the head of the Prosecutor General's Office, Andriy Kostin, to the Verkhovna Rada regarding alleged corruption by his deputy, Dmytro Verbytskyi.
Skhemy journalists found out that Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Dmytro Verbytskyi lives in the elite Kyiv cottage community Konik, where his nephew bought a house at a price 6 times lower than the market value.
The journalists also found that Verbytskyi's girlfriend received elite property worth at least UAH 52 million in 2024, without having sufficient official income of her own.