Ukrainian MP charged with forging documents to travel abroad

The Ukrainian prosecutor general on Wednesday charged a member of the parliament with forging documentation to obtain a travel permit during martial law.

While the law enforcement has not officially disclosed who the MP is, a LIGA.net source said it is Oleksandr Dubinskyi, a former member of the ruling Servant of the People parliamentary faction.

• Subscribe to LIGA.net in English on Twitter

Mr Dubinskyi himself confirmed on social media he has been charged.

Ukrainska Pravda reported the MP is suspected of using his father’s treatment as a coverup for travelling abroad in June and July.

Mr Dubinskyi’s father travelled abroad on his own on 26 June and returned on 11 July, while his son left the country on 27 June and returned on 27 July.

Law enforcement says the MP visited Italy, Croatia, and Spain, staying at hotels in Castelldefels and Barcelona.

Earlier this month, Mr Dubinskyi’s house was searched.

A former journalist and presenter at 1+1 Channel, linked to oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, Oleksandr Dubinskyi joined the Ukrainian parliament in 2019 as a member of the Servant of the People party.

He, however, has been designated by the US for attempting to interfere in the 2020 elections with Andrii Derkach, a former MP linked to Russian security services.

Earlier this year, Mr Dubinskyi was expelled from the Servant of the People party and faction.