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Ukraine prosecutors charge ally of opposition leader Tymoshenko

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Dec. 13, 2010, 6:24 p.m. | Politics — by Reuters
Ukraine's state prosecutor's office said on Monday it has charged a former interior minister and ally of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko with abuse of office and forgery. Former Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko, who has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, is one of several senior members of Tymoshenko's government facing criminal charges.

Tymoshenko, who has been accused herself of wrongdoing by the new government headed by her political opponent President Viktor Yanukovich, called it a campaign of "repressions".

But new state prosecutor Viktor Pshonka, a close ally of Yanukovich, has denied that the probe was politically motivated and said the charges were supported by documents.

"Today, on December 13, 2010, the final charges have been presented to Lutsenko," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Two other senior officials from the previous government, the former head of customs and the former acting chief executive of state energy firm Naftogaz, have been also detained this year. Last week state prosecutors questioned Tymoshenko, who served as prime minister in 2005 and again between 2007 and 2010. She said she and her allies were victims of a "witch-hunt".
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Anonymous Dec. 13, 2010, 7:50 p.m.    

This is outrageous. Pshonka is out to get the opposition one by one

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Anonymous Dec. 13, 2010, 8:35 p.m.    

corruption rules for the moment but in years to come yanuconvict and his cronies will be on the receiving end of the law

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Anonymous Dec. 13, 2010, 9:15 p.m.    

Let the games begin! But the PoR would do well to understand that what 'goes 'round; comes 'round'!

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Anonymous Dec. 14, 2010, 3:04 a.m.    

back to the USSR

trumped up charges

show trials

&quot;druzhnoi druzhba&quot;

What are the charges against Lutsenko?

Not specified. Doesn't matter.

Hail, hail Firtashia!

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Anonymous Dec. 14, 2010, 3:57 p.m.    

Croatia is going through a similar thing right now as well. Italy has managed to fend it off for a while as the guy has just survived a vote of no confidence, but when he is eventually gone, Italy will be next.

Haliburton pleaded guilty to corruption in Nigeria and was hugely fined by the US and now Nigeria lays corruption charges against Cheney and other execs.

Tony Blair squashed corruption investigation into BAE and Suadi, a move deemed reprehensible by the UK courts but nothing more done or said.

Having dealt with highly placed officials in the last two Ukrainian governments, Ukraine is certainly no different when it comes to corrupt officials.

In fact the cost of corruption actually rocketed in 2007-08 inclusively here from the Kuchma times.

Is this guy guilty of corruption? Most likely as most of them have been historically and I fail to see he will be an exception to the rule.

What is being broken here is the unwritten rule that when ousted from power, previous wrong doings are over looked.

When PoR are ousted then quite obviously the same investigations will occur into their individual and collective actions because the genie is out of the bottle.

Regardless, it is good riddance to bad rubbish.

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