The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has sentenced MP Lyudmila Marchenko to two years in prison in the case of receiving illegal benefits for helping men travel abroad through the “Shlyakh” system. The Anti-Corruption Center reported this on March 19.
In addition to Marchenko, the court also found her assistant Anastasia Kolesnik guilty. Both were sentenced to two years in prison and were also banned from holding certain positions for three years.
During her final statement, Marchenko said that she was sorry that “the assistant’s actions caused reputational losses” for her charitable foundation, but, according to her, she would not have done so “if not for the provocation by law enforcement agencies,” the CPC quotes.
This sentence has not yet entered into final force, since it can be appealed.
In July last year, the MP and her assistant were charged under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the investigation, they promised to organize a permit for the man to travel abroad for $5,300.
Law enforcement officers exposed the deputy and her assistant after they received the second part of the “reward” in the amount of $2,800. After reporting the suspicion, Marchenko was expelled from the Servant of the People party.
After the exposure, the NABU released a video showing the deputy trying to get rid of the bribe by throwing the money over a fence. She later explained that she “was in a state of shock and didn’t really realize what was happening.” Marchenko also claimed that at that time she was taking medication, which, according to her, could have affected her behavior during times of stress.
