The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has put Ruslan Demchak, a member of the Verkhovna Rada of the VIII convocation (elected from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party), on the wanted list.
"The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine is looking for a suspect in criminal proceedings No. 52024000000000164 dated 08.04.2024, namely Ruslan Yevheniyovych Demchak, on suspicion of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Abuse of power or position - ed.)," the statement said.
It should be noted that from November 2014 to August 2019, Demchak was Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial Policy and Banking.
According to media reports, in early April, the NABU notified Demchak of suspicion of illegally receiving compensation for renting a house in Kyiv when he had a property near the capital.
According to Slovo i Dilo, Demchak received compensation for renting a house in Kyiv when he was a member of parliament, although he had a private house in Kryukivshchyna, near Kyiv. This house was registered in his father's name, but the politician used it.
According to the NABU and the SAPO, the former MP illegally received about UAH 225,000 in compensation. The politician was served with a notice of suspicion in absentia, as his whereabouts have not been established. He is charged with committing an offence under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code.
In August 2023, the Prosecutor General's Office served the former MP with a notice of suspicion for assisting in stock exchange manipulation and legalisation of the proceeds of crime. According to the investigation, the MP, while holding the position of Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Financial Policy and Banking, acted as an aide to stock market participants in manipulation of the stock exchange by prior agreement with the directors of two private companies. Such actions resulted in the MP receiving illegal investment income of UAH 20 million.
In addition, the former MP committed financial transactions with the proceeds of crime and actions aimed at concealing and disguising their illegal origin in particularly large amounts.
We also recall that in the summer of 2018, the NABU opened a case on the possible illicit enrichment of MP Demchak. The difference between his documented and declared assets amounted to UAH 52.2 million.