Lutsenko to become Ukraine prosecutor general, reports say

Former Interior Minister and EuroMaidan activist Yuriy Lutsenko will become the new prosecutor general, the dt.ua report said, citing anonymous sources. Oleksandr Tretiakov, the deputy head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, estimated a 75% likelihood that Lutsenko will become the next prosecutor general, who has to be nominated by the president and approved by parliament.

Lutsenko is currently the faction head of the Poroshenko Bloc. He was imprisoned for more than 28 months under the Yanuokvych presidency for a misdemeanor crime in what’s largely recognized as political persecution. He served as interior minister for two years under the prime ministership of Yulia Tymoshenko.

Zenon Zawada: Lutsenko’s selection as prosecutor general would be a step in the right direction, if parliament is able to amend the law that requires the post be filled by someone with ten years’ experience. His newcomer status should be welcomed by Western governments, in the sense that he isn’t part of the old guard that has congealed at the top that has allegedly indulged in corruption and has failed to convict any of the EuroMaidan offenders.

At the same time, despite all his rhetoric about Gandhi-like resistance and his activism during the EuroMaidan, Lutsenko has demonstrated himself to be an establishment figure who is not enthusiastic about reforms or fighting corruption. His two-year tenure as interior minister wasn’t impressive, as corruption continued to thrive. We expect him to make compromises towards reform only when there’s enough pressure from activists in parliament and beyond its walls.

Lutsenko becoming prosecutor general would leave open the chairmanship of the Poroshenko Bloc faction in parliament. Obviously, it can’t be replaced by Ihor Kononenko, the deputy faction head who was accused of corruption by the former economy minister. The other deputy faction head, Oleksandr Tretiakov, is a top candidate. He is a pure establishment figure with an undistinguished record of legislative reform.