A trip of a delegation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine Director Artem Sytnyk was sponsored by the UK however Sytnyk did pay for his wife to go on the trip, the press service of the UK embassy in Ukraine has reported.
“The UK covered the costs of Mr Sytnyk and the official party. Mr Stynyk reimbursed his wife’s costs,” the report said which was posted on the embassy’s website on Aug. 14.
The embassy said that the visit to the UK in July 2015 was part of the UK’s efforts to help the Ukrainian government and agencies tackle corruption at all levels in Ukraine.
“We currently support and fund a number of initiatives, including in support of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. Mr Sytnyk’s visit was to demonstrate to key individuals the methodology and processes used in similar UK agencies which have been developed over many years. The visit program was extremely busy and included a large number of presentations from various UK law enforcement and prosecuting agencies,” the embassy said.
The British embassy said it is cooperating with the Prosecutor General’s Office to ensure this matter is resolved at the earliest opportunity.
As reported, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has registered information in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations on including the spouse of and advisor to Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau Artem Sytnyk in the agency’s official delegation for its trip to London.
A scan-copy of a reply to an official parliamentary enquiry by independent MP Vitaliy Kupriy who is a representative of inter-factional group ‘Deputy Control’ was published on Kupriy’s Facebook page on Thursday. The reply is signed by First Deputy Prosecutor General Yuriy Sevruk. The entry in the unified register was made under No. 42015000000001674; the offence is preliminary qualified under Part 1 of article 364 of the Criminal Code (abuse of power or position).
According to Kupriy, Sytnyk said that his wife allegedly paid for her trip to London from her own pocket. However, in her income declaration for 2014, she stated an annual income of only UAH 113,000 which “raises doubts about such a possibility” and requires verification, the lawmaker said.
In his enquiry the MP also asked for clarification on whether Danko is indeed an advisor to Sytnyk, and if so, proof of her appointment should be provided.
