CPC demands to check Arahamia's role in the case of deputy 'envelopes'
The Corruption Prevention Center (CPC) has appealed to Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky regarding a possible crime by the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, David Arahamia. The organization demands to check his alleged involvement in a scheme of illegal payments to people's deputies for voting in the Verkhovna Rada.
The statement was filed on October 19, and on October 20, CPC published the details of the appeal.
According to the anti-corruption organization's assessment, Arahamia's actions may have signs of a crime under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — obtaining an unlawful benefit under aggravating circumstances.
CPC Executive Director Daria Kaleniuk reminded that as part of the investigation into so-called envelope payments, five current people's deputies have already been suspected, including the deputy head of the Servant of the People faction, Yurii Kysil.
In addition, in late 2025, law enforcement officers conducted searches at Arahamia's assistant. However, criminal proceedings directly against the faction head, according to CPC, have not yet been registered.
What is known about alleged payments to deputies
On December 27, 2025, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported exposing an organized group whose members, according to investigators, systematically received money for voting on certain bills.
Subsequently, NABU clarified that suspicions were filed against five people's deputies. According to the investigation, the group's activities were coordinated by one of the parliamentarians, and instructions on the necessary votes were transmitted through a special WhatsApp chat.
CPC claims that the materials of the High Anti-Corruption Court mention a people's deputy from the leadership of the Servant of the People faction, who allegedly led the organized group.
According to the organization, the sum of 85 thousand dollars appears in the court documents. This money, according to CPC's version of the investigation materials, could have been received by one of the faction leaders in late 2025 for further distribution among deputies as a reward for voting.
The anti-corruption organization suggests that the faction leader mentioned in the case materials could be David Arahamia. Activists draw this conclusion, in particular, based on reports of searches at his assistant and investigative actions against the latter.
At the same time, Arahamia's involvement in the alleged scheme has not been established. CPC itself admits that suspicions can only be confirmed or refuted within a full pre-trial investigation.
Why the appeal was sent to the new head of the prosecution
In February 2026, the Anti-Corruption Center "MEZHA" had already appealed to the Office of the Prosecutor General with a statement about a possible crime by the faction leader.
However, under then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, information about Arahamia's alleged actions was not entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations.
According to the head of the "MEZHA" center, Martyna Bohuslavets, the Office of the Prosecutor General explained the absence of separate proceedings by saying that the relevant circumstances were already being investigated by NABU. However, the organization disagreed with this explanation, since the existing case, in its assessment, did not directly concern Arahamia.
CPC also reminded that the former Prosecutor General publicly confirmed the absence of separate proceedings regarding Arahamia, explaining that the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had not petitioned him with a relevant submission.
Anti-corruption organizations now expect that Acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky will make a procedural decision on the new statement.
According to the special procedure for investigating possible crimes by people's deputies, entering relevant information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations is within the powers of the Prosecutor General or the acting Prosecutor General.
CPC demands to register criminal proceedings and transfer the investigation to NABU detectives. The organization refers to Article 214 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides for entering information about a possible crime into the URPI within 24 hours after receiving the statement.
As of the moment of publication of the appeal, it was not reported that Arahamia had been served a notice of suspicion in this episode. Filing a statement by a public organization does not mean establishing the politician's guilt.
