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Corruption scandal in Ukraine generates massive resignations in the Zelensky government

Corruption scandal in Ukraine generates massive resignations in the Zelensky government

Among the senior officials who resigned are the Deputy Defense Minister, Viacheslav Shapovalov, in charge of logistical support for the armed forces; the deputy head of the presidential administration, Kirilo Timoshenko; and Deputy Attorney General Oleksii Simonenko.

Also, five governors, including those of two regions located on the front line of the war, and four deputy ministers were dismissed due to the same corruption scandalthe government reported in a statement.

Shapovalov’s departure “will preserve the trust of society and international partners, as well as ensure objectivity” in “possible investigations,” the Defense Ministry said in a note, the AFP news agency reported.

Tymoshenko, one of the few aides of President Zelensky to have worked with him since his election in 2019, overseeing reconstruction projects for facilities damaged by Russian attacks, he was featured in several scandals during and before the Russian invasion.

In October he was accused of using an SUV given to Ukraine by the General Motors group for humanitarian purposes. Following these revelations, Timoshenko announced that he would move the vehicle to an area close to the front line.

Simonenko was accused by an influential Ukrainian media outlet, Ukrainska Pravda, from have gone on vacation to Spain when travel abroad, except for professional purposes, is prohibited for the men of that country of fighting age.

According to the media, he left in a vehicle belonging to a Ukrainian businessman and in the company of his bodyguard.

The governors of the central Dnipropetrovsk oblasts will also leave their posts; from the southern Zaporizhia and Kherson, where fighting is raging; from northern Sumy and also from northern kyiv, where the country’s capital is located, the government said.

Valentin Reznichenko, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk, was accused last month by various media outlets of awarding tens of millions of euros worth of road repair contracts to a group co-founded by his girlfriend, who works as a fitness trainer.

Also dismissed were the Minister of Social Policy, Vitalii Muzychenko; two deputy ministers of Territorial Development and two deputy heads of the Maritime and River Transport Service of Ukraine.

In his usual evening communication, Zelenski said that “all internal issues that hinder the State are being eliminated and will continue to be eliminated” and that is why it was “fair, necessary for the defense, and helps our rapprochement with the European institutions” the changes of officials.

Zelensky explained that Ukrainians need a strong state and “Ukraine will be just that.” “Today society has seen another set of personnel decisions,” he remarked.

Ukraine drags a past stained with numerous cases of corruption and the organization Transparency International ranked it in 2021 in 122nd place out of a total of 180 in its study on the perception of corruption.

The fight against these crimes is also one of the key demands of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the process for its possible accession to the bloc.

Source: Ambito

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