With Odesa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili traveling Ukraine calling Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsneyuk corrupt and seeking his removal from office, the prime minister on Jan. 21 talked tough on the issue.
During a televised meeting with law enforcement agencies in Kyiv, Yatsenyuk said lack of unity is the main reason on why criminal cases against ex-President Viktor Yanukovych and his allies have stalled.
During a televised meeting with law enforcement agencies in Kyiv, Yatsenyuk said lack of unity is the main reason on why criminal cases against ex-President Viktor Yanukovych and his allies have stalled.
“More than $1.5 billion that was stolen by Yanukovych regime
must be confiscated and returned to the Ukrainian budget. To do that we need to
unite in the struggle,” the prime minister said.
Law enforcement officers from the Interior Ministry,
Security Service of Ukraine and Prosecutor’s General Office said corrupt judges
and good defense lawyers blocked their actions to date.
That is why the cases of why ex-Fiscal Service Minister Oleksandr Klymenko, ex-justice
ministers Olena Lukash and Oleksandr Lavrynovych and others have gone nowhere.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the investigation
is so slow because the suspects were very good in the art of corruption.
“These people are very smart and do their dark deeds using
complicated schemes with the help of the best lawyers and foreign experts. That
slows the investigation procedure to six months minimum,” Avakov said.
“Ukrainians don’t want to hear such excuses from us, as well
as to go into the question,” Yatsenyuk said. “For corruption, they blame us all.”
At the same time, Yatsenyuk didn’t scold his close ally
Avakov over the slow investigation.
Serhiy Horbatyuk, the head of the Special Investigations Department
at Prosecutor General’s Office, said the law enforcers do their best but don’t
get enough help of other government agencies.
Yatsenyuk promised more coordination.
“From now on, I will do everything so the government could help
you. If you need to check an (income) declaration, we will add the Fiscal
Service to the investigation,” he said. “If you need to check a state
enterprise, the State Auditor Service will join the investigation on your
request.”
Prime minister also hopes that the professionals from newly
created National Anti-Corruption Bureau will help the investigation.
“Our partners from the U.S. highly approved the creation of the
(National Anti-Corruption) Bureau. They helped us financially and even sent
best FBI specialists to train the staff of the bureau,” Yatsenyuk said.
