The press service of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry of Ukraine has dismissed media reports of the detention of Deputy Agricultural Policy and Food Minister Mykhailo Chuzhmyr for taking a bribe.
“The police have carried out no investigative actions, detained no officials, in particular, Deputy Minister Chuzhmyr. All officials of the ministry are working as usual at their jobs,” reads a report from the ministry’s press service.
According to the report, the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia newspaper (Mirror Weekly) posted an article by Volodymyr Chopenko entitled “Ministry of Agricultural Bribes”, which “does not respond reality, is of prejudiced character and resolutely discredits the work of the Agricultural Policy and Food Ministry.”
The press service said that while preparing the article neither the author nor the editorial staff of the newspaper asked the ministry for comments and the official position of the ministry.
“The author was biased in reporting, without receiving confirmation from the authorized agencies, including the police, and without seeking the opinions of and assessments from agricultural experts and authorized specialists of the branch. Such reports contradict the code of journalistic ethics and European norms of professional journalism… This information will be properly assessed by the law, involving authorized agencies,” the press service saud.
Earlier ZN.UA, referring to Chopenko, reported that Chuzhmyr had been arrested while receiving bribe. The sum of the bribe was not reported.
