Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Who are the prison cells for?

It looks as if the criminal case against former governor of the Donetsk and then Sumy oblasts, Volodymyr Shcherban [see photo] will be closed. It could be said this man represents the worst aspects of the first 15 years of independent Ukraine - I've posted about his grim past previously.

According to today's high circulation PoR-leaning 'Donbass' newspaper:

The deputy chief of the press- service of the Attorney General's Office has stated that, "The investigator has prepared a project on the decision to close the criminal case against Shcherban, but the final decision will be made after Deputy Attorney General Renat Kuzmin's operational conference [and presentation] of his report to the Attorney General", When asked when this conference will take place, he replied: "Soon, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. "

Incidentally, Kuzmin's is another name to 'conjure' with.

The 'Donbass' piece includes this: "On the basis of the tendencies in today's law enforcement system, it is possible to say with practically hundred per-cent confidence that Shcherban will be left in peace. And not only him - there is another question - will the cells prepared for these people remain empty? Or will they be occupied by those who are in the opposition today? Hopes that the power structures will be diverted from politics and will concentrate [only] on crime fighting are decreasing."

If even 'Donbass' are writing this kind of thing, then everyone should be concerned.

The piece ends with a quote from former Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko: "I am not at all surprised at this course of events. Today the law enforcement system, which previously sabotaged the investigation of such matters, has been combined with the new management if the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and has returned to being an effective washing machine for the Mafia."


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