You're reading: Government sold Ukrtelecom in a hurry, says speaker

Ukrainian Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has said that the government sold Ukrtelecom in a hurry.

Due to the financial crisis, the value of Ukrtelecom has considerably fallen, so the government should have delayed the sale of the telecommunications monopolist in the interests of the state until the company’s value had grown, he said on the Fifth TV Channel on March 20.

"There was talk of Ukrtelecom’s value being five times more. However, a crisis occurred in the world, and companies in Ukraine and in the world have lost value… It’s obvious that we could wait until the companies’ prices grew and then sell them," he said.

Lytvyn also said that if opposition representatives have doubts about the new owners of Ukrtelecom, a temporary parliamentary investigation commission should be created.

"When they say that there are doubts, it is obvious that it is better for the parliament to ascertain the truth. So I propose… if it is needed, to create a temporary investigation commission that would study the issue," he said.