NABU Detains MP Kuzminykh: What Is Known About the Case
29 June 10:39
Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau have detained a sitting member of the Ukrainian Parliament who is accused of abuse of influence during the procurement of medical equipment for hospitals in the Zhytomyr region. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian", citing the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
The Bureau has not disclosed the suspect’s name, but the individual in question is Serhiy Kuzminykh, who was elected to the Verkhovna Rada as a member of the “Servant of the People” party.
Why was Serhiy Kuzminykh detained?
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the basis for the arrest was a ruling by the High Anti-Corruption Court.
Law enforcement officials stated that the accused had systematically failed to appear at court hearings.
He explained his most recent failure to appear by citing a business trip to the Kingdom of Spain.
After his arrest, the MP was taken to a temporary detention facility.
The SAP is requesting that the MP be remanded in custody
A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion to change the preventive measure.
The prosecution is asking the court to place the MP in pretrial detention without the possibility of bail.
The hearing on the motion is scheduled for June 29, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.
The final decision on the preventive measure is to be made by the High Anti-Corruption Court.
What Kuzminykh Is Accused Of
According to the investigation, Serhiy Kuzminykh may have used his influence to assist a private company in securing contracts with a hospital in the Zhytomyr region.
The contracts involved the purchase of medical equipment, specifically ultrasound diagnostic systems.
Anti-corruption authorities claim that the lawmaker allegedly received 558,000 hryvnias in illicit benefits for his services.
According to the investigation, Kuzminykh received the funds through a trusted intermediary. This amount represented 30% of the contract value for the supply of an ultrasound diagnostic system, which was signed by a municipal enterprise—a hospital in the city of Zhytomyr—with a private company.
Anti-corruption officials claim that these funds were intended to influence hospital officials to declare this company the winner of the public procurement tender.
In addition, according to the NABU, the deputy guaranteed that in the future, in exchange for a “30% kickback,” he would use his influence to secure funding and the implementation of two more contracts — for the supply of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and laparoscopic equipment — totaling over 38 million hryvnias.
How the scheme might have worked
According to the prosecution’s case, a representative of the private company was led to believe that the supply of equipment to hospitals in the Zhytomyr region had to be coordinated with the MP.
Investigators believe that Kuzminykh promised to facilitate:
- the company’s success in tenders;
- the conclusion of contracts with municipal hospitals;
- financing of purchases from the state budget;
- payment for the delivered equipment.
In return, a company representative was allegedly supposed to give the lawmaker a certain percentage of the contracts’ value.
One of the first contracts was for the procurement of medical equipment for a hospital in Zhytomyr.
After paying for the delivered ultrasound system, the deputy, according to the investigation, reminded the company representative of the need to pay him for his assistance.
The amount totaled 558 thousand hryvnias.
Law enforcement officials classified these funds as an unlawful benefit for influencing the decision-making of officials at medical institutions.
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Kuzminykh was exposed in January 2022
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the Office of the Prosecutor General announced the exposure of the MP on January 28, 2022.
The operation took place during the handover of 558 thousand hryvnias.
Initially, anti-corruption agencies did not disclose the lawmaker’s name. Later, the “Servant of the People” parliamentary faction confirmed that the individual in question was Serhiy Kuzminykh.
On January 31, 2022, then-Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed a notice of suspicion.
The MP had already been detained in 2022
After the notice of suspicion was issued, Kuzminykh failed to appear for several summonses to the NABU.
In February 2022, he was placed on the wanted list.
On February 7, the lawmaker, accompanied by his attorney, arrived at the NABU office, where he was detained pending a decision on a preventive measure.
Kuzminykh himself stated at the time that he had not been in hiding and had arrived at the Anti-Corruption Bureau voluntarily.
What preventive measure was previously in place
In May 2022, the High Anti-Corruption Court set bail for the MP at approximately 49,600 hryvnias.
He was also subject to procedural obligations, including:
- reporting any change of residence;
- refraining from communicating with specified witnesses;
- surrendering his foreign passports for safekeeping;
- appearing in court when summoned.
Now, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is requesting that the previous pretrial measure be replaced with pretrial detention without the right to bail.
The case has been pending in court since 2022
NABU and the SAPO completed the pretrial investigation in the summer of 2022.
In September of that year, the indictment was submitted to the High Anti-Corruption Court.
The trial has been ongoing for several years.
Hearings have been repeatedly postponed due to:
- the defendant’s failure to appear;
- the absence of defense attorneys;
- business trips;
- illness;
- plenary sessions of the Verkhovna Rada;
- air raid alerts;
- defense attorneys’ participation in other court proceedings.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has already fined Kuzminykh
In April 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that one of the reasons for the MP’s failure to appear was not valid.
Kuzmin was fined 6,656 hryvnias.
Previously, the court had also notified the Verkhovna Rada of the hearing dates and the need for the MP’s personal presence.
On several occasions, the court appointed defense attorneys from the free legal aid system so that the proceedings could continue in the absence of the MP’s chosen attorney.
What punishment could the lawmaker face?
The main charge in the case concerns abuse of influence.
If found guilty, the court may impose the penalty provided for in the relevant article of the Criminal Code.
According to Transparency International Ukraine, the MP could face up to five years in prison.
At the same time, Kuzminykh cannot be considered guilty until a court conviction becomes final.
What is known about Serhiy Kuzminykh
Serhiy Kuzminykh was elected to parliament in 2019 as a candidate for the “Servant of the People” party.
He won in single-member constituency No. 67 in Zhytomyr Oblast.
In the Verkhovna Rada, Kuzminykh served on the Committee on Public Health, Medical Care, and Health Insurance.
Following the allegations in January 2022, he requested to be temporarily expelled from the “Servant of the People” faction, with the possibility of reinstatement if his innocence were proven.
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