The Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine (HACU) will continue to consider at 10:00 on Wednesday a lawsuit to deprive MP Serhiy Vlasenko, a defense counsel for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, of his parliamentary mandate.
Such a decision was taken at a court meeting on Tuesday.
As reported, on Tuesday, the HACU started considering statements filed by Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Rybak on the termination of Vlasenko’s deputy powers. Earlier on Tuesday the court stripped Regions Party MP Andriy Verevsky of his parliamentary powers under a respective lawsuit lodged by Rybak.
The parliamentary committee on rules of procedure decided to annul the parliamentary mandates of Vlasenko and Verevsky due to them being moonlighting MPs. The opposition said that this decision had been falsified.
According to Article 81 of the Constitution of Ukraine, “in case the requirements regarding incompatibility of the parliamentary mandate with other activities are ignored, the authority of a people’s deputy of Ukraine should be terminated in advance according to the law upon a court’s ruling.”
According to Article 78 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the requirement on incompatibility of the parliamentary mandate with other activities is stipulated in the legislation.
According to Clause 5, Part 1, Article 3 of the law on the status of the people’s deputy of Ukraine, an MP “has no right to be involved as an expert by pre-trial investigatory agencies, prosecutor’s offices, courts, as well as to practice advocacy.”
Batkivschyna faction leader Arseniy Yatseniuk represents Vlasenko’s interests in the HACU.
