Deputy minister, aide arrested in undercover sting

Yuriy Hrymchak, the deputy minister of the temporarily
occupied territories and internally displaced persons, was arrested on Aug. 14
by undercover law enforcement officials after he allegedly accepted a bribe of
USD 480K to influence judges and culture ministry officials for favorable
decisions. Hrymchak and his aide, Ihor Ovdiyenko, were arrested in a sting
operation organized the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the National
Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Prosecutor General’s Office for
demanding a total of USD 1.1 mln for “aiding in the decision-making by those
authorized to conduct state functions.” So far, they have been charged with
fraud, the SBU said on its Facebook page.

A spokesperson for the occupied territories ministry
said Hrymchak’s arrest isn’t related to the ministry’s functions, the
pravda.com.ua news site reported. A culture ministry spokesperson said none of
its employees were involved in the alleged crime. Hrymchak has been a close
political ally to Yuriy Lutsenko – the prosecutor general of Ukraine – since
2002, when he began serving as his aide in parliament. In a Facebook post,
Lutsenko said “he is ashamed” of Hrymchak. “But this demonstrably shows that at
the Prosecutor General’s Office, the law is applied the same to all.”

In response to the arrests, Tetiana Matiash,
identified by the mass media as the lawyer to Ovdiyenko, said no evidence of a
bribe being given was found. Photographs published by the SBU of alleged
packages of cash that were confiscated in the bribe attempt were indeed USD
480K in fake bills, she said. Ovdiyenko is Hrymchak’s brother-in-law and they
have no business ties, she added. Hrymchak’s wife, Yulia, told reporters that
her husband went to the supermarket to buy a watermelon when he was ambushed by
law enforcement in an operation that falsely incriminates him.

Zenon Zawada: Regardless
of what truly happened and Hrymchak’s fate, it’s apparent the Zelensky team is
using these arrests to continue cleaning the political landscape of any
remnants of the Poroshenko administration. Hrymchak is a close associate to
Lutsenko, who has become an immense irritation to the Zelensky team as he
continues to engage in various affairs in his final weeks that are distracting
to the president. By arresting Hrymchak, the Zelensky team is giving Lutsenko a
final chance to leave quietly or face possible retributions. Dmytro Razumkov,
the next likely speaker of parliament, recently vowed to criminally prosecute
high-profile figures, and we are confident that the highly unpopular Lutsenko
is in their crosshairs.

While under arrest, Hrymchak may offer incriminating
information not only about Lutsenko, but also former President Poroshenko, who
has spent this week continuing to appear for questioning in criminal
investigations being performed by the State Bureau of Investigations. No matter
what happens with the Zelensky presidency (if it’s successful or not),
Poroshenko’s political career has already peaked and the best he can look
forward to in politics is serving out his five years as a member of parliament.
But it’s just as likely that he could face time in prison.