How the Ukrainian parliament controls MPs’ wartime foreign travel
Journalists recently found that Vitaliy Bort, an MP from a now-banned pro-Russian party OPFL, left Ukraine a “three-day business trip” during the war but stayed abroad for an entire month. NV inquired who controls foreign trips of Ukrainian lawmakers and whether there is a penalty for violating the wartime restrictions.
Read also: Verkhovna Rada to vote on new Accounting Chamber head this week, says PM
Serhiy Kalchenko, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Ethics Committee, stated that during martial law, the parliament remains in session. At the same time, according to the law on the status of legislators, MPs are granted leave only between sessions.
"Since we do not have an intersessional period during martial law, there can be no paid vacations," he said.
“However, in some force majeure situations, people may be granted leave for a few days, but without pay.”
Meanwhile, the first deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee, Serhiy Yevtushok, recalled that according to a presidential decree, all business trips are granted to MPs only by order of the Verkhovna Rada’s Speaker.
"But there is another provision in the presidential decree that no one pays attention to," he notes.
Read also: Putin signs decree to draft 130,000 conscripts
“After the MP returns to Ukraine with a report, Ukraine’s SBU security service examines the fulfilment of the trip...; we should ask them why and how no one controls when they go on a business trip with an order in some official delegations and end up in a completely different place.”
Read also: Kyiv blames partial shutdown at Zaporizhzhya NPP on Russian ‘gross incompetence’
Upon returning from a business trip, each MP should submit a report with photo and video evidence of what they were doing at the time, so that "the SBU would not have any questions," Yevtushok stated.
Read also: ‘His permit was canceled’ – Ukraine’s border guards on preventing ex-Pres Poroshenko’s trip abroad
At the same time, the parliament does not provide for any sanctions against MPs who do not comply with these rules. It is impossible to strip an MP of their seat if such violations are detected. A sitting member of parliament can only lose their seat if convicted in a court of law.
Investigative journalists from Bihus.Info found that 51-year-old MP Vitaliy Bort left Ukraine in April and July 2023 for three-day business trips and stayed abroad for another month in both cases. After that, the State Bureau of Investigation announced that it was investigating Bort for possible forgery of travel documents.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
