Media reports: An associate of anti-corruption activist Shabunin was among the lawmakers who backed a reduction in penalties for corrupt officials.

Among the members of parliament who voted for the law that allows corrupt individuals who agree to a plea deal with investigators to avoid asset confiscation was former employee of the Anti-Corruption Center and long-time ally of Vitaliy Shabunin – Anastasia Radina, who supported this bill.

The relevant amendments to the Criminal Code were recently passed by the Verkhovna Rada, writes "Law and Business".

In particular, the provision in Article 77 of the Criminal Code that mandated asset confiscation as an additional penalty for criminal or corruption offenses has been removed.

“It is noteworthy that Shabunin expressed outrage over this vote this morning… It is obvious that the changes made to the Criminal Code are aimed at protecting corrupt individuals from the confiscation of criminal assets. Therefore, the editorial team agrees with V. Shabunin that this has been done to favor corrupt individuals, and his associates facilitated what he refers to as a 'betrayal of Europeans',” the publication notes.

Radina, who supported this bill, served as the head of advocacy programs at the Anti-Corruption Center from 2016 to 2019. Subsequently, she was one of the leaders of the campaign to establish the High Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine and is also an expert on tax legislation.

It should be noted that the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is investigating a number of criminal cases against Shabunin, including evasion of mobilization, forgery of documents from the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), illegal use of humanitarian aid, and misappropriation of a Nissan Pathfinder jeep intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.