Lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko continues to be relentless as an investigative journalist in exposing allegations of wrongdoing against Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and former lawmaker Mykola Martynenko. Leshchenko, part of President Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, also uncovered evidence that Serhiy Lyovochkin, a fellow lawmaker and ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s chief of staff, has an undeclared luxury villa on the French Riveria. All have denied his accusations of wrongdoing. But Leshchenko is pressing for investigations, including abroad, writing in his Ukrainska Pravda blog on Jan. 14: “I hope law enforcement agencies will also be interested in finding out how Ukrainian corrupt officials launder their shady revenues there.”
Anti-reformer of the week:
Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Law enforcement has shown no success in investigating financial corruption cases. Minister after minister, official after official, say they have uncovered evidence of financial crimes only to have the cases stalled either at the investigative or prosecutorial stages. At a Jan. 20 Cabinet of Ministers meeting, Yatsenyuk woke up from his slumber: “As prime minister, I initiate the meeting with the general prosecutor, the interior minister, new anti-corruption prosecutor and justice minister to pass them on behalf of government the list of the criminal proceedings we think should be investigated immediately. And the corrupt officials involved should get the strict but fair trial,” Yatsenyuk said. “It’s been two years already with no results.”
