Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators have accused opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko of organising a scheme to bribe MPs, including members of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's party, to undermine him. The offices of her Fatherland party were raided late on Tuesday by officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).
Tymoshenko has denied the accusations, suggesting the raid was politically motivated and linked to speculation about imminent national elections. "They found nothing, so they just took my work phones, parliamentary documents and personal savings," she said in a Facebook post, adding that the allegations were "absurd".
According to NABU, Tymoshenko allegedly approached MPs to establish a "regular mechanism of cooperation that involved advance payments and was intended for a long-term period". An intercepted conversation purportedly showed her using the Signal messaging app to relay voting instructions, targeting the parliamentary majority held by Zelenskyy.
The investigation comes amid a series of high-profile corruption probes targeting figures in Zelenskyy's inner circle, prompting a political reshuffle. Political turmoil has been stoked by expectations of elections should a ceasefire with Russia be reached.
Tymoshenko, who rose to prominence during the Orange Revolution and was jailed on politically motivated charges in 2011, was among the most vocal supporters of a bill last year that would have dismantled SAPO and NABU. The bill was later withdrawn by Zelenskyy amid public outcry.
