Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Truth spoken in jest?

According to an interesting article* in Ukr Pravda, on Tuesday, the day when NSNU decided that 'the game was up' in the VR, BYuT deputy Oleksandr Abdullin jokingly asked Andriy Klyuyev, one of Yanukovych's closest PoR associates, "Andryusha, [I know] we're too late for the ten, but how about taking us 'on board' for three?"

The numbers they were talking about were millions of dollars.

During the 2004 Presidential election campaign Klyuyev was head of Yanukovych's election campaign team, and together with Eduard Prutnik, co-ordinated finances. Election funds of several hundred million dollars were channeled from Gazprom, via Naftohaz Ukrainy and shadow structures, for the campaign. Klyuyev was deputy prime minister with responsibility for the energy sector.

Also, Klyuyev, and his brother Serhiy, where at the heart of the attempted 2004 'Presidential election steal' campaign, as exposed on the so-called Zoriany recordings.

Whatever happened to those, I wonder?

It would be no surprise, therefore, if 'Andryusha' is still PoR's money-bag man, in the VR today.

It was widely rumored at the time that Andriy Klyuyev was the last person to see railway minister Hryhoriy Kirpa before Kirpa's mysterious suicide on 27th December 2004, when neigbours had apparently heard several shots. Yanukovych had knocked out several of Kirpa's teeth a few weeks before after an argument...
You couldn't make it up....

Source: Andrew Wilson's 'Ukraine's Orange Revolution, and elsewhere.
A bit more on Klyuyev here.

The sun may shine and the winds may blow.
The women may come and the women may go,
But before I say I love you so, I want

Money, honey.
Money, honey.
Money, honey,
If you want to get along with me.

Sung by Elvis Presley c.1956

*Also now In English

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