Corruption suspect appointed justice minister in Ukraine — RT Russia and former Soviet Union
Olga Stefanishina has dismissed a corruption complaint against her, calling it politically motivated
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishina was appointed justice minister on Thursday, despite being a suspect in a corruption case involving the same ministry.
Stefanishina’s expanded powers come amid a major reshuffle after Ukrainian lawmakers voted in favor of her appointment. She takes over a ministry where her public career began in 2007.
The corruption investigation follows allegations of graft within the ministry in 2014, when it was headed by Elena Lukash and the country was in turmoil that led to a US-backed armed coup.
The suspicions relate to a contract to analyze the compliance of Ukrainian laws with EU requirements for countries wishing to join the Union, Stefanishina’s specialty. She approved the expenses as the head of the relevant department.
Investigators say the price of the work was inflated, the results were substandard and several ministry officials embezzled money.
Asked about these allegations in 2020, the then deputy prime minister told the Evropeyskaya Pravda newspaper that “Investigators saw in 2014 something bigger that was actually there.”
Stefanishina suggested that the investigation was launched in an attempt to put pressure on senior ministry officials and predicted that it would come to nothing. “because no sane investigator or prosecutor would dare to follow through.”
The case has nevertheless progressed. According to court information, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine advanced the case to the trial stage last year.
Lukash served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov, who was ousted in the Maidan coup alongside President Viktor Yanukovych. The new authorities launched numerous investigations against her on various charges, but she was never tried on any of them.
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