Mandate stronger than law: why Kuzminykh is still a deputy, despite crime and violations

The criminal case against People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh, who is suspected of receiving a bribe of half a million hryvnias, has not yet resulted in a verdict more than three years after its opening, UNN reports.

During the court proceedings in Kuzminykh's bribery case, he missed 22 out of 86 court hearings, or every fourth hearing scheduled in his case. As UNN reported earlier, Kuzminykh even appeared at one of the court hearings without a passport, thus formally disrupting the case.

In addition, the MP has repeatedly violated traffic rules, including driving under the influence of alcohol. After the police found signs of intoxication, he refused to undergo an examination and was eventually deprived of his driver's license. However, this did not stop the people's choice, and after that, he was detained three more times for driving without documents, and also fined for drinking alcohol in a public place. Ignoring the court and delaying cases seems to have become a common tactic for Kuzminykh. After all, the MP did not appear at the hearing regarding "drunk" driving either.

Against the background of all these scandals, it seems strange that Kuzminykh still remains in parliament. In any European country, such a portfolio of offenses would mean immediate political responsibility.

How about in Europe?

In France, Finance Minister Hervé Gaymard was suspected of using preferential terms for renting a state apartment in the center of Paris worth €14,000 per month. The scandal led to his resignation less than 5 hours after the first news about it was published. And the minister himself publicly admitted his mistake.

In the UK, Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords John Sewel got into a scandal due to a video released by the media, where he, while under the influence of drugs, used the services of prostitutes. Just two days after the publication of the first scandalous news about Sewel, he voluntarily resigned his mandate and left the House of Lords, admitting that his behavior was incompatible with his parliamentary duties.

In Germany, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was found to have plagiarized in his doctoral dissertation. The University of Bayreuth stripped him of his academic degree, and public outrage forced the politician to resign all his powers. Guttenberg admitted his guilt and completely left politics.

In Ukraine, however, People's Deputy Kuzminykh, with a history of bribery, drunk driving, driving without a license, drinking alcohol in public places, and contempt of court, still remains in politics without any consequences.