Yulia Tymoshenko has been notified of suspicion in a case involving the bribery of Members of Parliament.
Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) spokesperson Olga Postoliuk confirmed the development to RBC-Ukraine. Sources from Schemes in law enforcement and political circles also confirmed that Tymoshenko received the notice of suspicion from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and SAPO.
Tymoshenko herself confirmed that searches at the Batkivshchyna party office lasted all night. She denies the accusations, calling the case a "political hit job."
"More than thirty men armed to the teeth effectively seized the building and took staff hostage without presenting any documents," Tymoshenko stated.
According to her, the last time party representatives faced such an intrusion was by "Yanukovych's stormtroopers during the Revolution of Dignity."
"I categorically reject all these absurd accusations. It seems elections are much closer than they appeared. And someone has decided to start purging competitors," she wrote.
Tymoshenko claims that "nothing was found" during the search, but noted that her work phones, parliamentary documents, and personal savings were seized.
As a reminder, on January 13, NABU and SAPO announced they had exposed the leader of a Verkhovna Rada parliamentary faction for offering illicit benefits to MPs from other factions in exchange for votes on specific bills. The actions are classified under Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On the same day, media sources in law enforcement identified the head of the Batkivshchyna faction as the figure involved.
