Position: People's deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the "Servant of the People" party, member of the VRU Committee on budget issues, heads the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada regarding the procurement of drones and the construction of fortifications.
Sphere of corrupt activity: repair and construction.
Region of corruption activity: Sumy region.
Qualification: Zadorozhnyi's actions were qualified under part 4 of Art. 368 and Part 3 of Art. 27 part 4 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: the people's deputy was detained.
The plot of the case: on July 15, 2024, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office exposed a people's deputy who demanded a bribe for not obstructing the repair work of a water supply in Sumy Oblast. According to the Center for Combating Corruption, it was about Mykola Zadorozhnyi, a deputy from "Servant of the People".
According to the investigation, in March 2024 People's Deputy Zadorozhnyi requested the head of the village council in Sumy Oblast to provide an illegal benefit for not obstructing the tender for the repair of a water main in the Okhtyr District of Sumy Oblast. According to NABU and SAP, his "kickback" amounted to 10% of the total amount of the contract, and another 4% was intended for local law enforcement officers, who were not supposed to obstruct the use of the allocated funds, the law enforcement officers reported.
According to the investigation, it is a total of 3.4 million hryvnias.
The actions of the people's deputy were qualified under Part 4 of Art. 368 and Part 3 of Art. 27 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of selecting a preventive measure is being resolved.
On the same day, People's Deputy Mykola Zadorozhny was expelled from the "Servant of the People" party. His membership in the parliamentary faction of the political forces was also suspended.
In turn, Zadorozhnyi says that he did not receive an illegal benefit.
"I did not receive or demand any funds or other illegal benefits. I strive for an objective investigation and the establishment of the truth. I do not obstruct the pre-trial investigation in any way," the elected official wrote on his Facebook page.
Persons potentially involved in the corruption scheme: from open sources it is not known about potential accomplices of Mykola Zadorozhny.
Assets: in the declaration for 2022, Zadorozhnyi indicated that he owns an apartment in Kyiv worth UAH 403,647. Instead, the people's deputy's actual residence together with his wife Tatyana and two sons is another apartment in the capital. Also, Zadorozhny's wife owns a residential building in the Kyiv region, which was purchased in 2021.
In addition, in 2021, the People's Deputy purchased a Toyota Land Cruiser 150 Prado car for UAH 1,827,399.
At the same time, Mykola Zadorozhny's income for the first year of the full-scale war was UAH 710,682, and his wife Tetyana's - UAH 21,895.
The People's Deputy declared $30,000 in cash, as well as UAH 1,801 in a bank account. At the same time, his wife indicated $15,000 and UAH 100,000 as cash savings and another UAH 33,130 in bank accounts.
In addition, Zadorozhnyi had a loan of UAH 1,029,490.
In 2023, the wife of a people's deputy purchased two new plots of land in the Kyiv region.
Mykola Zadorozhny's income for 2023 was UAH 706,385, his wife Tetyana's - UAH 10,321. At the same time, the couple's savings for this year almost did not change.
Persons who should have responded to corruption schemes: law enforcement agencies responded to Zadorozhny's criminal activities in a timely manner. In particular, NABU and SAP are dealing with the case.
Scandals: in 2019, after being elected as a deputy, Zadorozhnyi was involved in a scandal involving the purchase of a Mitsubishi Pajero car worth UAH 320,000 - before that he had no official job.
The People's Deputy got into yet another scandal when, in September 2022, he greeted forest workers in de-occupied Trostyanka wearing a sweater with the letter V, which is used by the Russian occupiers.
Sources:
https://lb.ua/society/2024/07/15/624313_nardep_zadorozhniy_otrimav_pidozru.html
https://zaxid.net/na_sumshhini_nardep_vimagav_34_mln_grn_za_dozvil_remontuvati_vodogin_n1589562
https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-zadorozhniy-sumy-pidozra-khabar/33038331.html
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/02286345-6982-419b-8367-6241a00a5f99
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/7d5d7557-6a22-41b3-93b1-d1384360c582