Criminal case opened against MP Leros for publishing incriminating videos

The State Bureau of
Investigations (DBR) opened a criminal case on Mar. 30 against People’s Servant
MP Geo Leros for publishing on the Internet allegedly incriminating videos
clips of Denys Yermak, the brother of Andriy Yermak, the head of the
President’s Office. The case was opened a day after Andriy Yermak said he would
file complaints with the DBR and Security Service of Ukraine. The case involves
the alleged crimes of fraud, interfering in the activity of a state official,
the disclosure of state secrets and abuse of authority.

 

The videos posted by
Leros on Mar. 29 show Denys Yermak allegedly requesting payments in exchange
for key government posts, including deputy infrastructure minister, a Kyiv
customs service position, the National Arts Palace director and the National
Expocenter director. The recordings were made by Dmytro Shtanko, who assisted
Denys Yermak in conducting interviews for the heads of agriculture state
enterprises, according to journalists with the Skhemy television news program.

 

The first set of
recordings were made on Aug. 20, Sept. 16, Sept. 23 and Oct. 3, 2019, when
Andriy Yermak had served among several official presidential aides, Leros
alleged. At that time, Leros was serving as a non-state presidential aide.
Leros was dismissed by the president this month after voicing opposition to
Andriy Yermak’s willingness to conduct direct talks in Minsk with Russia’s
proxies in Donbas. It’s not clear how Leros obtained the video recordings. He
submitted the materials as part of a complaint to the National Anti-Corruption
Bureau, and a criminal case was opened on Mar. 30 by the Specialized
Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

 

Leros transferred
dozens of hours of additional video of Denys Yermak offering government posts
in exchange for money are in the possession of the Skhemy news reporters, they
announced in their Mar. 29 broadcast. Yermak and his associates, including
Shtanko and Serhiy Shumskiy, discussing prices for various positions and how to
distribute profits from various schemes, including payments to Denys Yermak,
the report said. The post of Ternopil regional administration head was
discussed on Mar. 14, while the post of Odesa deputy regional administration
head was discussed on Aug. 22.

 

In a Sept. 5
episode, a person believed to be Shumskiy discussed how he visited Iran with
Denys Yermak to broker a construction tender. “Denys will ensure the tender
award” while the proceeds will be cut into three parts, the person believed to
be Shumskiy said, also asking the associate he was speaking with to invent a
scheme to circumvent international sanctions on Iran.

 

In his response to
the videos being published, Andriy Yermak indicated in a Mar. 29 Facebook post
that he had discussed with Leros their content and the possibility that they
would be made public. “I would like for an all-encompassing investigation be
conducted regarding the conditions under which these recordings were made.
Their ñredibility, foremost, all the facts, as well as who – and at whose order
– was this done, and how these recordings ended up with Geo Leros,” Yermak
wrote.

 

Zenon Zawada: This criminal case was opened by
the DBR in order to intimidate MP Geo Leros, who first drew the enmity of the
President’s Office when he expressed his opposition to its plans to conduct
direct talks with Russia’s proxies in Donbas (drawing his dismissal as a
non-state presidential aide). Leros might have been motivated by revenge in
releasing the videos, but the content is what deserves examination by law
enforcement authorities.

 

Regardless of what’s
proven and not proven, this scandal has not only added to the series of
embarrassments for the Zelensky administration, but will also ruin whatever
little support remains for the president among Ukraine’s pro-Western
electorate, which is interested in rule of law, combatting corruption, and Euro-Atlantic integration.

 

The biggest winner
from this scandal is Petro Poroshenko, who has had any doubts removed from his
claims that the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) is a politically biased
body that fulfills the orders of the President’s Office against its enemies.
Even if the criminal cases against Poroshenko have a factual basis supporting
them (as many do), they are now certain to be viewed as politically motivated.