Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Agency Raids Parliament Building Blocked by Police

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian anti-corruption agency (NABU) carried out a raid operation at the Ukrainian national parliament building (Verkhovna Rada) on Saturday, December 27. However, their efforts were thwarted by members of the parliament's internal security (Pamdal).

NABU raids in an attempt to investigate alleged corruption involving a number of Ukrainian parliamentarians.

"NABU and SAPO, after undercover operations, uncovered an organized criminal group that includes current members of parliament," the Ukrainian anti-corruption agency (NABU) said in a statement quoted by AFP, Saturday, December 27.

"Employees of the State Security Service [Pamdal] fought NABU officers during investigative actions in the committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine," the statement continued.

However, the anti-corruption agency did not reveal further details regarding the investigation.

A series of corruption scandals in Ukraine led to the resignation of the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Staff Volodymyr Zelenskyy not long ago.

The scandal also exposed a bribery scheme of 100 million US dollars in Ukraine's ailing energy sector.

People in Ukraine are angry because of the alleged bribes that took place when Russia was destroying Ukraine's power grid, causing power outages and threatening to cut off heating in the winter. The alleged mastermind of the bribe was a personal friend of Zelensky.

The raids also come as Zelensky departs for talks in the US on plans to end the war in Ukraine, and after Russia sent dozens of drones and missiles into the capital Kyiv, killing one person and wounding dozens more.