Ukraine court unblocks former PM Azarov’s blocked pension

A Kyiv Appellate Court ruled on March 9 to unblock the pension account of former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov, who stands accused by the Ukrainian government of stealing state funds in the amount of UAH 220 mln (USD 27.5 mln) as part of a corruption scheme involving telecommunications networks. His lawyers claimed Azarov’s monthly pension of USD 2,157 was his “single source of existence.” Both the pensions of Azarov and former President Viktor Yanukovych were arrested in late December by a Kyiv district court. They remain under international search and reside in Russia.

Zenon Zawada: It’s noteworthy that Azarov was able to get a Kyiv court to rule in his favor, which indicates that the Yanukovych entourage is still able to exert influence in the country, despite being in exile. And to a large extent, this influence is being exerted with the tacit consent of President Poroshenko. So in our view, this development adds further evidence that the president has concealed agreements with the Yanukovych entourage, which would imply tacit arrangements with Russian President Putin, which are widely suspected.