An investigation by Ukrainska Pravda obtained documents revealing that David Arakhamia, the faction leader of the governing 243-member Servant of the People faction, flew to Austria on a jet belonging to oligarch Dmytro Firtash.
Firtash has been sanctioned since June 2021 for allegedly selling titanium products linked to enterprises that supply the Russian military. He is also fighting extradition to the U.S., where the government has charged him with bribery and racketeering. Firtash has denied all accusations of wrongdoing against him.
The flights to Vienna took place in January and February of 2021, when Ukraine was in lockdown and international flights were not permitted.
Arakhamia claims the trips were taken for medical reasons, and he was unaware that the private jet belonged to Firtash.
“It just so happened that the plane belongs to Mr. Firtash’s business firm,” said Arakhamia, “It was commissioned to an airline that has thousands of planes. So it is like Uber, and you never know which plane you will be flying on.”
Arakhamia insists the trips were due to a medical condition he did not want to share with the whole country. Ukrainska Pravda reported that Arakhamia presented off-the-record evidence to corroborate his claims.
Arakhamia’s assistant presented two separate orders for medical services, including the flights to Vienna. Arakhamia’s spouse purchased them through a Georgian travel agency, each trip cost 23,000 euros.
“If I pay for the flight, I will have to declare it to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, and the whole country will know: Arakhamia flew somewhere,” explained Arakhamia, “This is unfair. The reaction will be negative regardless.”
The Ukrainska Pravda investigation also revealed secret meetings between businesspeople and politicians, including Arakhamia.
The faction head disputed all allegations, stating that the meetings were informal and, if politics were discussed, it was on a personal basis.
