The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has released audio footage of confidential talks between Batkivshchyna party leader Yulia Tymoshenko and members of parliament as part of an ongoing bribery investigation.
In the recordings, Tymoshenko’s voice was clear and easily recognizable, while the voices of other parliamentary participants—identified by investigators as individuals who were offered money—were altered to conceal their identities.
During the audio, Tymoshenko spoke in a low tone, guiding a deputy on how to vote. The conversation revealed what investigators describe as a systematic scheme rather than isolated incidents.
According to the investigation, the collaboration was long-standing and involved advance payments, with arrangements designed to persist over an extended period.
On January 13, authorities conducted searches at Tymoshenko’s party office in Kyiv. Simultaneously, law enforcement reported that a leader of a parliamentary faction in the Verkhovna Rada had been exposed for engaging in illegal services involving bribes.
The preliminary charge aligns with Part 4 of Article 369 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code: “Offering, promising or providing an unlawful benefit to an official.”
Tymoshenko confirmed that investigative actions were underway at her party’s office and stated she rejects the allegations in full, attributing the situation to preparations for upcoming elections.
