Media outlets reveal that activist Shabunin's associate voted in Verkhovna Rada for reduction in punishment of corrupt officials

Among the MPs who voted for a law that would allow corrupt officials who have made a deal with the investigation to avoid confiscation of property is a former employee of the Anti-Corruption Action Center and a long-time associate of Vitalii Shabunin - Anastasia Radina, who backed this bill.

The Verkhovna Rada recently adopted the corresponding amendments to the Criminal Code, Zakon i Biznes (Law and Business) reports.

In particular, the norm that provided for confiscation of property as an additional punishment for a criminal or corruption offense disappeared from Article 77 of the Criminal Code.

"It is noteworthy that V. Shabunin was outraged by such a vote this morning... Obviously, the aforementioned amendments to the Criminal Code were adopted in order to protect corrupt officials from confiscation of criminal assets. Therefore, the editorial office agrees with V. Shabunin that this was done to please corrupt officials, and it was his people who contributed to this, in his words, "throw to Europeans," the publication notes.

Radina, who supported this bill, was the head of advocacy programs of the Anti-Corruption Action Center from 2016 to 2019. Later, she was one of the leaders of the campaign to create the High Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine, and is also an expert in tax legislation.

Recall that the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating a number of criminal cases against Shabunin, in particular, on evasion of mobilization, forgery of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) documents, illegal use of humanitarian aid, and appropriation of a Nissan Pathfinder jeep that was transferred for Armed Forces of Ukraine.