Lutsenko Appoints Controversial Ex-Deputy as Kyiv Prosecutor

Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko appointed his ex-Deputy Roman Hovda as Prosecutor of the city of Kyiv. The General Prosecutor of Ukraine (GPU) press office reports that on July 6, Lutsenko introduced him to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and the heads of law enforcement and judicial authorities in Kyiv.

While introducing the new head of Kyiv prosecutor’s office, Lutsenko referred to the critically high level of crime in the city and called to counter it through coordination between all law enforcement agencies.

The new prosecutor’s primary tasks are to review all ongoing and closed proceedings with regard to former municipal officials and verify the activities of all communal companies of the city. "Perpetrators who embezzled billions of hryvnias should be prosecuted, irrespective of where they are now," Lutsenko stressed.

He also reminded about the launch of integrity verifications of prosecutors. "I’ll defend each and every honest prosecutor, but not the ones who are here to line their pockets," he highlighted.

He expects the Kyiv prosecutor’s office to take ‘pro-active’ action to fight corruption, "so that every Kyiv resident enjoy changes in the country."

Hovda used to be a deputy of ex-Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Soon after being appointed as Prosecutor General, Lutsenko initiated his dismissal along with firing two other deputies – Yuriy Sevruk and Oleh Zalisko. However, Sevruk has been already appointed Deputy President of the National Prosecution Academy.

Journalists and civic activists have repeatedly accused Hovda of corruption. In particular, Ukr.av reported that he had contributed to closure of a criminal proceeding with regard to embezzlement of ₴38 million ($1.5 million) allocated for construction of a kindergarten in Odesa Oblast.

However, Lutsenko highlighted that no specific accusations against the new Kyiv prosecutor are available. He doesn’t consider Hovda as involved in corruption. "There is no corruption here. I believe Hovda suffered from political tension between the former management of the GPU and the Kasko-Sakvaleridze team. Hovda is a young, extremely clever and experienced professional. I am sure he will fulfil the objectives of the Kyiv prosecutor’s office. He will intensify the fight against crime," Lutsenko claimed.  

"Integrity verifications of prosecutors have been launched recently. If damning facts are revealed, the respective prosecutor – even if it is Hovda – would fail this verification. So far, there is no specific evidence against him," Lutsenko affirmed.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda