Iryna Kormyshkina. Photo: Facebook by Irina Kormyshkina
MP from the Servant of the People party, Iryna Kormyshkina, is under investigation by law enforcement agencies over allegations of illicit enrichment worth more than UAH 20 million. According to the investigation, in 2021-2022, Kormyshkina acquired assets worth this amount, which she later used to buy a house in Odesa region, where she currently lives. However, the MP’s official income for this period did not exceed UAH 2.7 million, which was spent for other purposes.
According to hromadske.ua, Kormyshkina is currently suspected under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.
What preceded the charges?
The Anti-Corruption Action Centre has previously drawn attention to the strange origin of the funds received by Kormyshkina. She received a gift of UAH 14.4 million, as well as an additional UAH 5.3 million and a Swiss watch worth UAH 310,000, decorated with 11 diamonds. The donor, according to official data, had no income that could explain such large gifts.
The NGO appealed to Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin with a demand to register criminal proceedings over these facts. As there was no response, the Anti-Corruption Action Centre went to court, and the High Anti-Corruption Court ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office to open a case on the MP’s possible illicit enrichment.
Irina Kormyshkina: who is she?
Iryna Allakhverdiieva (Kormyshkina) was elected as a Member of Parliament of Ukraine in 2019 on the list of the Servant of the People party under the number 116 position. She is a member of the faction of the same name and holds the position of the Head of the Subcommittee on Tariff and Non-Tariff Regulation in the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy.
She also held senior positions in a number of insurance companies, including Unika Insurance Company and INGO Ukraine. Kormyshkina once found herself at the centre of a sexist scandal when her faction colleagues David Arakhamia and Oleksandr Kornienko inappropriately discussed her appearance during a briefing. This incident caused a wide public outcry.
The allegations of illicit enrichment of Kormyshkina have increased the focus on the fight against corruption in Ukraine and raised questions about the integrity and transparency of the work of MPs.
