You're reading: Where is the Kyiv mayor?

Political observers speculate eccentric Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky is an extended holiday to avoid prosecution.

Has anyone seen eccentric Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky? The city’s nominal chief, stripped of most of his duties by the President Viktor Yanukovych administration, has been out of the public eye for several months.
Now even the prime minister claims to be wondering where he’s got to.

Mykola Azarov told the head of the city administration, Oleksandr Popov, to “bring him back to work.” Azarov had earlier said Chernovetsky’s role had become similar to that of the “Queen of England,” after Popov was effectively appointed to run the city by Yanukovych.

Insiders at city hall say Chernovetsky is not even in the country. Analysts suggest a deal has been struck with Yanukovych’s ruling Party of Regions that he disappear from public view in exchange for immunity from prosecution in connection with various accusations of corruption.

Are Kyivans dreaming of him [Leonid Chernovetsky] coming back?”

– Mykola Azarov, prime minister of Ukraine.

Chernovetsky’s inner circle members have repeatedly denied that he or his team has any reason to hide or did anything that could be considered corrupt.

Known for his extravagance, including hosting a press conference in swimming trunks and offering to sell kisses to fill the city budget, Chernovetsky was in the spotlight until Popov was made deputy of the city administration in June 2010, effectively taking over city management.

In November, Chernovetsky was dismissed as head of the city administration by a parliamentary decision that separated the posts of Kyiv city’s elected mayor and head of city administration. The decision left him with a mostly ceremonial role of a city mayor.

But months before this, Chernovetsky disappeared from public eye. Today, his whereabouts appear to be a mystery even to Azarov.

“Are Kyivans dreaming of him coming back?” Azarov asked journalists who raised the question. “In this case, I ask Popov to find the mayor. Tell him Kyivans miss him and ask him to come back to work.”

However, Chernovetsky has still failed to appear, and Popov said he has no information on his whereabouts.

“I saw Chernovetsky before the New Year holidays. After that I spoke to him on the phone. He is alive and well,” he said.

A city administration employee, speaking on condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to comment, said: “Nobody here has seen him in at least one and a half months.”

Sources close to the mayor told the Kyiv Post that he spends most of his time abroad, dividing his time between vacationing in Switzerland and visiting his wife’s relatives in Georgia.

According to officials at the city council, which Chernovetsky heads, documents are regularly delivered to him by plane to sign.

“Sometimes we are asked to prepare the documents faster as we are told ‘the plane is leaving tomorrow morning,’” says a city council employee.

Meanwhile it is not clear if Chernovetsky is on sick leave or vacation or if he is being paid salary.

“I simply do not ask him these questions,” said Marta Grimska, an adviser to Chernovetsky.

The press service of Kyiv’s city administration declined to comment.

This so-called search for Chernovetsky is a farce, as it is obvious that his absence is a part of the deal with Party of Regions.”

– Oleksiy Haran, a political science professor at Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

Experts say the situation with city mayor is absurd and undermines democracy.

“This so-called search for Chernovetsky is a farce, as it is obvious that his absence is a part of the deal with Party of Regions,” said Oleksiy Haran, a political science professor at Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

Experts have questioned the legitimacy of the decision to replace Chernovetsky, as Popov was never elected by Kyivans and the decision was never considered by the Constitutional Court.

Political analysts said the deal seemingly struck with the ruling Party of Regions could protect him from prosecution.

Several of his subordinates have been detained on charges of fraud and embezzlement and remain in custody. However, none of his closest allies face any charges and no cases have been launched against Chernovetsky himself.

Since he became city mayor in 2006, political opponents have accused Chernovetsky of mismanaging the city and its resources. Most allegations involve massive land fraud in which valuable parcels were sold at privileged prices to companies whose ownership remains hazy.

Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta think tank, said Chernovetsky is likely to remain in the shadows for awhile. “Now is not the right time [for Yanukovych’s party] to hold elections in Kyiv. Water and gas tariffs have just gone up and Popov does not have enough support to win yet,” he said.

But the future may not be so rosy for Chernovetsky. The Party of Regions will most likely have Popov running for mayor in 2012, at which time Chernovetsky might become a useful fall guy.

“To arrest Chernovetsky on accusations of fraud might become a good PR strategy before the mayoral elections,” Fesenko said. “Or at least they might issue a warrant and let him flee abroad.”

Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at[email protected].