MP Zhupanin was caught on trips to London: “parliamentary work” or a luxurious life?
23 July 2024 11:23
People’s deputy from the Servant of the People party Andriy Zhupanyn found himself at the center of a scandal because of his regular trips to London during the full-scale war in Ukraine. Journalistic investigation of Bihus.Info revealed that the deputy often visits the British capital, where his wife is often present and where he himself studies at the prestigious London Business School, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
According to the investigation, Zhupanin entered the business school in August 2022, having received a partial scholarship to cover the cost of education. In an article published by the school, the MP said he spends 54 hours traveling to London each month to spend 48 hours there.
Despite the ban on the departure of deputies from Ukraine on non-state affairs, introduced by the NSDC in January 2023, Zhupanyn continues to regularly visit London. He explains his trips as “parliamentary work” and official business trips. However, journalists could not find confirmation of his work in the British capital.
Special attention was drawn to the deputy’s visit to London on June 8-16, which coincided with the publication by his wife Bohdana of photos from her vacation in the city. Zhupanyn claims that the trip was related to work in the friendship group between the parliaments of Ukraine and Great Britain, but no evidence of this has been found. On the other hand, there is evidence that the people’s deputy had fun with his wife, because she herself posted them.
In addition to frequent visits to London, public attention was drawn to the luxurious lifestyle of Zhupanin’s family, which contrasts sharply with his officially declared wealth. The wife of MP Bohdan regularly shows off expensive jewelry, clothes from luxury brands and vacations in prestigious places on social networks.
Among the luxury items seen in Bohdana’s photos are a Van Cleef necklace worth at least 10-12 thousand euros, Bottega Veneta earrings for over 1000 dollars, a Gucci down jacket for 80-90 thousand hryvnias. In addition, the deputy’s wife has a collection of branded glasses and bags from Dior, Prada, Burberry.
According to Zhupanin’s official declaration, his personal wealth is relatively small – about 40,000 hryvnias and 70,000 dollars in savings. On the other hand, his wife, who, according to the documents, does not work anywhere, has significant amounts of cash written down: 1.5 million hryvnias, 130 thousand pounds, 195 thousand euros and 182 thousand dollars.
Such discrepancies between the declared wealth and the real lifestyle of Zhupanin’s family raise questions about the sources of their income. The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) has previously identified inaccuracies in the deputy’s declaration.
