Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman on June 6 filed a request to the Ukrainian parliament to fire Ukraine’s Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk for misconduct.
“After provoking conflict during a government meeting, Danylyuk has taken some actions, that, in my opinion, make his continued work in the Cabinet of Ministers impossible,” Groysman wrote on Facebook.
Danylyuk has recently made some controversial public statements openly critical of the Ukrainian government. And after Groysman made the call for his ouster, the finance minister took to Facebook and made more.
“I’ve constantly been under pressure for a year already,” Danylyuk wrote on June 6. “(The government) has been forcing me to support the subvention program for the regions – which means giving state budget money to the projects of local lawmakers. This is political corruption.”
The government subvention program provides state financial support for decentralization reform in Ukraine, which started in 2014.
“Today I was offered a choice – to become a participant of this scheme, or to leave. I demand that I be allowed to speak in parliament before there is a vote on my resignation,” Danylyuk wrote.
Groysman has presented decentralization reform as one of the main successes of his government.
The Finance Minister also said in June 4 interview with online news website Yevropeyska Pravda that lawmaker Ihor Kononenko, a close ally Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, had tried to install Ihor Umansky as a deputy finance minister to lobby for his interests.
In addition, he recently said that if the lawmakers didn’t vote as soon as possible to set up an independent anti-corruption court, a key demand of the International Monetary Fund for it to continue its $17.5 billion bailout program for Ukraine, Ukraine would face serious financial and political consequences in future.
The European Union might also stop providing financial aid to Ukraine, Danylyuk wrote in a letter to Ukrainian lawmakers on June 1.
The minister has also been in conflict with the cabinet since it took over the management of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine from the Finance Ministry on May 23.
“Danylyuk has been spreading false information among our international partners before important negotiations with the European Union, which may have put the results of the negotiations in danger,” Groysman said.
Despite Ukraine not having fulfilled its conditions, the European Union approved another 1 billion euros in loans for the country on May 29.
Although the decision still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and European Council, both will be called on to adopt the decision without further discussion.
“Unfortunately, Oleksandr Danelyuk didn’t do anything to correct his behavior even after a discussion with the government team,” Groysman said.
“So I don’t see him in our team anymore, and I ask parliament to support my request and find the new head of the Finance Ministry as soon as possible.”
