Voyage to Maldives: Ukrainian lawmaker Aristov faces charges and searches
Officers from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), are investigating the legality of lawmaker Yurii Aristov's holiday trip amid Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
Source: press services of the SBI, SSU, and Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO)
Details: The Prosecutor General initiated criminal proceedings on 25 July 2023 based on the records of the State Bureau of Investigation and information spread in the media regarding the introduction of false information in documents for travelling abroad by the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament] Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.
The Bureau's investigators are looking into details of how the Ukrainian lawmaker managed to go on holiday to the Maldives despite a ban on officials travelling abroad.
The investigation will focus on the possible intentional inclusion of false information in official documents on his travel, specifically regarding his trip's duration, purpose and countries.
The investigators established that in mid-July 2023, the MP stayed in a hotel on the private island of Ithaafushi, Maldives.
The law enforcers confirmed that Aristov was outside Ukraine between 05 June and 22 July 2023.
The lawmaker travelled to Poland for three days during an official business trip to deepen bilateral cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
On 10 July 2023, while abroad, the MP remotely took a sick leave certificate in one of the private medical institutions in Kyiv until 19 July 2023.
Meanwhile, inaccurate information was probably entered into the digital healthcare system since no actual medical examination was carried out.
The investigators also found out that the lawmaker, together with his family – his wife and children – stayed on the territory of the Republic of Maldives, at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives hotel resort, until 22 July.
Law enforcement officers conducted urgent searches in the MP's apartment. They seized, among other things, passports for travelling abroad with relevant notes and other documents.
The criminal proceedings are being investigated over forgery by a person in the office.
The sanction of the article provides for the restriction of liberty for up to three years.
Background:
- On 15 July, reports emerged that Yurii Aristov, 48, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, a member of the pro-government Servant of the People political party faction, was seen in mid-July at the 5-star Waldorf Astoria Maldives hotel on the private island of Ithaafushi, Maldives.
- Davyd Arakhamiia, Head of the Servant of the People party faction, said that the party was studying the information on Aristov's trip to the Maldives, and if confirmed, he would face losing his mandate.
- On the same day, Aristov submitted a resignation letter from his parliamentary seat.
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