Ukraine’s SBU security service said Wednesday it searched the home of a member of parliament who allegedly went on holiday abroad despite war-time restrictions on officials travelling for personal reasons.
Yuriy Aristov travelled to Lithuania for a work trip, but then faked sick leave and went to a luxurious hotel in the Maldives with his family, according to investigators.
The SBU said he travelled “under the guise of a ‘business trip'”.
A news report had revealed the case, triggering a vehement reaction from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
“For some, it’s about islands and resorts during the war, for others it’s about lining one’s pockets in the military enlistment office, for others it’s about bribes in the courts,” he said.
“Any internal betrayal, any ‘beach’ or any personal enrichment instead of Ukraine’s interests triggers fury,” Zelensky said.
Investigators opened a case on charges of forgery that carry up to three years of imprisonment, the State Bureau of Investigation said.
Ukraine’s parliament is set to vote on the resignation of Aristov, who was also the deputy chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.
There have been several scandals involving high-ranking Ukrainian officials since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.
On Monday, Ukraine detained a former official from the southern Odesa region, accusing him of bribes in return for exempting some people from being conscripted into the army.
