Ukraine prosecutor office draws acceptances, rejections from reformers

Valentyna Telychenko, a prominent Ukrainian lawyer, told the pravda.com.ua website on Aug. 8 that she has declined an offer by Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko to serve as one of his deputies. “Looking at the situation from within to a certain extent, I understood that I don’t want this position and declined,” she said. Among the reasons, she cited a potential conflict of interest in which she is serving as a defense attorney in cases being prosecuted by the government. “If Lutsenko believes that recommendations generated by my group will be beneficial, then he will listen to them,” she said. “A position is of great value to not very well-versed people. (David) Sakvarelidze and (Vitaliy) Kasko had high posts – did that help them reform the prosecutor’s office?”

Bohdan Vitvitsky, a former U.S. federal prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney, has accepted Lutsenko’s offer to help lead a selections commission to choose the members of a newly created General Inspection within the Prosecutor General’s Office, it was revealed at an Aug. 8 press conference involving Lutsenko and Vitvitsky. The General Inspection will be responsible for investigation the legality of the actions of prosecutors and investigators throughout the state prosecution. Though an experienced Ukrainian prosecutor will serve as the commission head, Lutsenko asked Vitvitsky to serve as its leader, applying his American experience in interviewing and selecting candidates. “I would really like for you to create a truly independent and expert body,” Lutsenko told Vitvitsky.

Zenon Zawada: Ever since the EuroMaidan, numerous attempts have been made to include reformers, and introduce reforms, in government bodies by key leaders. These attempts have had moderate success, often concluding with limited reforms being implemented but the reformers themselves leaving out of frustration or being politely shown the door. The most memorable case was Economy Minister Aivaras Abromovicius’s departure, which ignited the political crisis in February this year. Vitvitsky could end up having a more positive experience since he has a specific task, with a specific deadline, as opposed to a government post.

Telychenko declining to accept her offered post reveals the lack of confidence that Ukrainian reformers have in Ukrainian President Poroshenko and his trusted officials, including Lutsenko. So far, Lutsenko has done a lot of nice window dressing, with very appealing statements. But some of his actions have already cast doubt on his commitment to fighting corruption. Besides Friday’s search of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, he has reassigned allegedly corrupt prosecutors to new posts. While he’s an improvement from his predecessors, he has yet to earn full confidence from the West.