You're reading: Yanukovych slams politicization of fight against corruption in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the honorary leader of the Regions Party, has criticized attempts to politicize the fight against corruption in the country.

“On a practical level, the authorities have been able to identify
dozens of officials from the central and local authorities who, using
their high ranks and political ties, were taking bribes, stealing from
the state and citizens. Most of these people are already serving their
sentences, many of them have already been convicted. However, our first
attempts to step up the fight against corruption have caused strong
opposition. For the most part these are attempts to politicize the
process,” he said, speaking at the 14th congress of the Party of Regions
in Kyiv on Monday.

“A corrupt official doesn’t and cannot have a party mandate, a
corrupt official has no right to political sympathy. Cases against every
exposed corrupt official will be investigated and brought to their
logical conclusion, and, naturally they will be resolved in court. We
have never been biased and will never be,” Yanukovych said.