Tymoshenko calls for Poroshenko impeachment in parliament

Yulia Tymoshenko, a presidential contender and leader
of the populist Fatherland party, called upon parliament to initiate
impeachment proceedings against President Petro Poroshenko for news reports
alleging that his inner circle has illegally profited from the war in Donbas.
“This is state treason deliberately committed by a citizen of Ukraine to the
detriment of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability,
defense capabilities and state and economic security,” she said from the
parliamentary tribune this morning. “In essence, this is supporting the enemy
in destroying the Ukrainian army. This supports the occupier-state in
conquering our country. This is absolutely a case for prosecution.”

Ihor Hladkovskiy, the son of the deputy secretary of
the National Security and Defense Council Oleh Hladkovskiy, was a direct
participant in “schemes in the millions” that stole money from
Ukraine’s defense industry complex and illegally profited from the war, according
to the Nashi Hroshi (Our Money) broadcast on Feb. 25 on the bihus.info YouTube
channel. Among the most outrageous alleged schemes is organizing contraband
imports of Russian parts for Ukrainian military hardware, and then selling them
at highly inflated prices to the armed forces.

The program demonstrated leaked text messages in which
Russian suppliers reached agreements with Hladkovskiy’s associates, Vitaliy
Zhukov and Andriy Rohoza. These associates also sent texts to the junior
Hladkovskiy in order to request that his father resolve contracts, or address
these matters with the directors of Ukrainian factories. More than UAH 250 mln
in profit was earned through three shell companies, including one directly
owned by Poroshenko at the time, the report alleged. In one text exchange,
Rohoza alleged UAH 500 mln was earned. Another mentioned scheme was reselling
parts to the Ukrainian military that were designated for disposal.

In response to the claims, Iryna Lutsenko, the
president’s representative to parliament, said Oleh Hladkovskiy and
Ukroboronprom, the state monopoly defense contractor, will file lawsuits
against the Nashi Hroshi program to request an apology or irrefutable evidence
of their claims. The alleged crimes occurred in 2015, she pointed out, and were
investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized
Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, she said. “But there were no results, no
facts and no suspects named,” she said from the parliamentary tribune.

Zenon Zawada: These
reports have the potential to boost the support for Tymoshenko and Volodymyr
Zelenskiy at Poroshenko’s expense. Poll ratings released yesterday
showed that the candidacy of sketch comedian Zelenskiy has stolen the election
momentum of Tymoshenko, whose support has plummeted directly and inversely to
Zelesnkiy’s rise. Therefore, Tymoshenko is desperate to give voters new reasons
to support her. Illegal profit from the war is a particularly sensitive subject
that can stir the emotions of the public, particularly among the military that
continues to support Poroshenko, more or less.

Impeachment won’t occur since the March 31 elections
will be the best way for the public to decide whether Poroshenko should remain
as president or leave. But this political posture presents Tymoshenko as the
president’s most vocal opponent for those who hold him in most contempt. It’s
hard to say whether such drastic calls will boost her poll ratings. But this
latest move bolsters the widely held view that Poroshenko will prefer to see
Zelenskiy as his second-round opponent.

News reports of the president’s entourage illegally
profiting from the Donbas warfare have been surfacing within a year of the
war’s outbreak in spring 2014. It’s inevitable that theft and corruption will
occur in almost all economic spheres in a country where rule of law is weak.
Among Poroshenko’s greatest failings has been his alleged involvement in
corruption while doing little to stop it and improve rule of law. These
accusations give the president even more reason to go to extremes to avoid
losing the presidency.