The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have charged a former member of the Ukrainian parliament with illegally receiving rent reimbursement, NABU reported on Feb. 13, noting that the suspect currently holds a senior position in a local district council.

According to Ukrainian journalist Oleh Novikov, the charges concern the head of Odesa District Council, Vitaly Barvinenko.

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Law enforcement officials claim that the suspect, who owns apartment in central Kyiv, received more than UAH 613,000 ($16,072) in compensation for renting a hotel room in the capital between September 2016 and August 2019.

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“The investigation believes that in this way the suspect caused major harm to the interests of a public entity—the Office of the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament] of Ukraine,” the NABU said.

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The official was charged with abuse of power. He faces up to six years in prison.

Vitaly Barvinenko was a member of the Ukrainian parliament in 2007-2019. Since 2020, Barvinenko has chaired the Odesa District Council.

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