Servant of People MP Trukhin cooperates with investigation, acknowledges attempts to bribe policemen

Ukrainska Pravda
·5 min read

Oleksandr Trukhin, a member of Servant of the People party, has agreed to a deal with the investigation and pleaded guilty to offering a bribe to a policeman.

Source: hearing at the High Anti-Corruption Court

Prosecutor Quote: "I want to inform the court and other participants of the court session that the plea agreement signed between me... and the accused Trukhin... has been sent.

We agreed that this agreement would indeed be in the interest of the public, taking into account the fact that Trukhin, as an MP, did not run away during the war, did not take any anti-Ukrainian measures, but on the contrary, took a pro-Ukrainian position. He provided a lot of documents where he took part in events at the international level."

Quote from Trukhin: "I'd like to say much thanks to the team of the NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] because they took a correct and rightful stance without abusing their power. I assume they are just as correct ehen dealing with other cases. The team of Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office did their jon in a quite professional manner…

I realise that no one should give either a court or Prosecutor's Office too much headache with explanations, extra hearings, spending money of taxpayers and wasting their own time… if someone did something wrong, it's best to reach consensus and seek solutions that would be fair and rightful…

I understand I did something foolish, and I was wrong. I'm ready to be punished for that".

Details: Trukhin and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office signed an agreement on 17 February, 2023. According to its terms, the MP is obliged to pay UAH6 million [equiv. US$163,303] in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular, to the United24 and Drone Army initiatives. According to the prosecutor, this way, the lawmaker, in particular, will validate his remorse.

Trukhin must also pay a fine of UAH68,000 [equiv. US$1,850]. This is the maximum amount of the fine for the article under which he is charged.

The deposit, which the deputy made during the investigation, will also be transferred to the Armed Forces; it is UAH49,600 [equiv. US$1,349].

The agreement with the investigation must be approved by the court if it decides that the agreement between the MP and the Prosecutor's Office is in the public interest.

During the conclusion of the agreement, Trukhin said that he tried to bribe a policeman to leave the scene of the accident as soon as possible. The prosecutor emphasised that this agreement in no way concerns the MP's participation in the accident itself.

This, according to the prosecution, means that Trukhin's crime was not so dangerous as to warrant a more severe punishment than a fine. Also, the choice of sanction was influenced by the fact that the man had two children and incentives from state authorities.

If the court approves the agreement with the investigation, then, after the sentence takes effect, Trukhin will lose his mandate in the Parliament.

In court, Trukhin confirmed that during the road accident in 2021, he offered the police "150,000 something" [in the original phrase, the MP said "candy, chocolate, cookies" – UP]. On his own, the lawmaker did not want to recount the events of that day, explaining that he felt uncomfortable doing so.

Trukhin could not point out in which currency he offered the bribe. At the same time, he claimed that at that moment, he had no money with him, and his phrase "was more emotional and not even completely justified."

Update at 16:26: The court approved the plea deal and found Trukhin guilty of the crime.

The MP can only appeal this verdict if his agreement was involuntary. During the hearing, he confirmed that he agreed to all the terms.

The sentence will come into force after the deadline for filing an appeal has passed.

Background: 

  • On 23 August, 2021, Oleksandr Trukhin was involved in a road accident. According to the media, Trukhin was drunk and caused an accident on the road from Poltava to Kyiv. A week after the event, the politician stated that he was not behind the wheel and cooperated with the police in drawing up reports.

  • On 1 February, 2022, Ukrainska Pravda published a video investigation into a traffic accident with the participation of Trukhin. On the video from the policeman's chest camera, which was published by UP, Trukhin wanted to leave the scene of the accident and assured the law enforcement officer that he could resolve the issue with  Denys Monastyrskyi, the-then head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Later, the MP proposed to pay the police officer "UAH150,000 as a bonus" that was lying in the car so that the law enforcement officers would help him escape from the scene of the accident and register him as a passenger.

  • The State Bureau of Investigation stated that it did not have the video, published by Ukrainska Pravda, at its disposal. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova started a new criminal proceeding after the publication of the investigation.

  • On 2 February, Trukhin was expelled from the Servant of the People party. Trukhin told reporters that he was ready to submit his mandate as an MP if "the party forces him to do so."

  • At the end of August, the court fined a man who was riding in a car with Trukhin for UAH850; he also took the responsibility for the accident.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!