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Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have officially charged sitting lawmaker Mykola Tyshchenko with attempted bribery, money laundering and filing a false asset declaration.
According to investigators, in August 2023 Tyshchenko allegedly demanded more than $1 million from a person he believed was involved in operating illegal call centers. In exchange, he reportedly promised to use his influence to target the person’s competitors while allowing other businesses to continue operating. Prosecutors say the money was never paid.
The investigation also alleges that the MP laundered 12.6 million hryvnias by using a fictitious gift agreement with his former wife. Detectives concluded that she did not possess the declared amount and that no actual transfer of funds took place. Tyshchenko later listed the alleged gift in his annual asset declaration, which prosecutors say contained knowingly false information.
SAPO said the lawmaker is suspected of attempted provision of an unlawful benefit, money laundering and submitting false information in an official declaration.
The case stems from a 2023 controversy surrounding Tyshchenko’s campaign against alleged call centers. At the time, he claimed to have uncovered a facility in Kyiv that was supposedly working for Russia and collecting intelligence on Ukrainian military personnel and air defense systems.
However, the owner of the building said the premises were leased to an IT company. The same building also housed Tyshchenko’s public reception office.
Later, an audio recording surfaced online in which a person with a voice resembling Tyshchenko’s appeared to discuss supporting call centers linked to a particular individual and compiling a list of competitors. Tyshchenko dismissed the recording as fake.
The MP is also facing a separate criminal case opened last year over the alleged unlawful detention and assault of a military veteran.
