Ukraine’s Prosecutor General calls for MP immunity repeals

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko reported on May 19 that his office has prepared a request that parliment strip three lawmakers of their deputy immunity. The three, Henadiy Bobov (Vidrodzhennia group), Yevhen Deidei (People’s Front faction), and Andriy Lozovy (Radical Party faction) may face prosecution related to their assets declarations.

James Hydzik: Many analysts have reported in 2017 that Ukraine’s reform effort has gained some traction, and we see this as evidence that the system is beginning to work. While Lutsenko’s move might be construed as being politically motivated, and we would like to see evidence that pro-Poroshenko deputies are either clean or being prosecuted, we see the petition, as it involves assets declarations, as a wake-up call that the value of being a parliament member for immunity’s sake is dropping.