Ukraine parliament approves arrest of Onyshchenko, who is in Austria

Ukraine’s parliament voted on July 5 to remove political immunity from MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko. Parliament also voted to approve his arrest on charges of organizing a criminal organization, committing crimes with a criminal organization, taking ownership of property through abuse of office and creating a fictitious enterprise, costing the state UAH 3 bln in damages, the Ukrinform news agency reported. Of these, UAH 1.6 bln was allegedly stolen through the resale of natural gas at depressed prices involving fictitious firms. Another UAH 1.3 bln is owed for evading natural resource rents.

Onyshchenko reported the same day on his Facebook page that he is currently in Austria helping to prepare Ukrainian athletes for the Olympics. He denied any criminal activity and previously accused the U.S. government of placing pressure on his family business. Ten people have been arrested as part of the charges.

Zenon Zawada: This scandal broke on June 15, when key anti-corruption officials announced the criminal charges and requested that political immunity be removed from Onyshchenko. Yet it has taken nearly three weeks for parliament to fulfill that request, giving Onyshchenko more than enough time to depart Ukraine and avoid arrest. Although the laws on immunity created hurdles for his arrest, they could have been better maneuvered, as demonstrated with the September arrest of MP Ihor Moysiychuk.

The Onyshchenko affair marks the first major anti-corruption charges filed by the Ukrainian government for crimes committed after the EuroMaidan protest. On the positive side, it will impress – to some extent – Western institutions, which have been demanding to see anti-corruption prosecutions in order to extend more financial aid. Onyshchenko’s arrest will score some points with these powerbrokers.

However, Onyshchenko is a medium-sized fish in an ocean full of sharks. He is a relatively easy target for the Poroshenko administration, given that he doesn’t own any major assets, has ties to the highly unpopular and defunct Party of Regions, and doesn’t have the protection of a political party (or membership in an oligarchic clan). So while his attemptyed prosecution is a step in the right direction, there’s a long road still ahead.