Verkhovna Rada lifts parliamentary immunity

A total of 373 MPs voted in favor of the document at a parliament meeting on Tuesday, with the required minimum being 300 votes, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

Bill No. 7203 was registered in the parliament of the eighth convocation by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. It provides for the exclusion from Article 80 of the Constitution of Ukraine of a clause that guarantees MPs immunity, as well as the inability to be held criminally liable, detained or arrested without the consent of the Verkhovna Rada. Article 80 of the Constitution will include only the clause that MPs are not legally responsible for the results of voting or remarks in parliament and its bodies, except for liability for insult or defamation.

The law will come into force on January 1, 2020.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy approved the opinion on the bill on September 2. The opinion, in particular, contains a recommendation to the parliament to adopt as a whole the bill of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine on the lifting of parliamentary immunity.

The Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation on the first day of its work on August 29 adopted a resolution on preliminary approval of the bill introducing amendments to Article 80 of the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding the immunity of people's deputies of Ukraine).

On June 19, 2018, the Constitutional Court recognized bill No. 7203 as constitutional.

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