Ukrainian MP initiates impeachment of President Poroshenko following offshore accounts discovered by #panamapapers

Yesterday, 140 politicians from more than 50 countries were shortlisted by Panama papers – a global investigation into the sprawling, secretive industry of offshore that the world’s rich and powerful use to hide assets.

Unexpactedly, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko’s name was shortlisted among them. Back in June 2014, when Poroshenko was elected by Ukrainian nation, he promised to the voters he would sell Roshen, Ukraine’s largest candy business, so he could devote his full attention to running the country. Unfortunately, President refused to do this. Moreover, two months later, in August 2014, during the hottest times of Russian millitary intervention in Ukraine, in Illovaysk kettle, where around 1000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed by the Russian armed forces and their proxies, Poroshenko’s new company was submitted to the local registry of the British Virgin Islands.

Poroshenko’s action might be illegal as minimum on two counts: he started a new company while President and he did not report this company on his disclosure statements.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Offcie along with the newly estabilished with an active support of western grants Ukrainian anti-corruption Agency refused to start investigation against Petro Poroshenko’s dirty accounts and offshore companies referring to state law provisions, that exclude position of current President from the scope of their competence.

The only legal way is run into force the Article 111 of the Constitution of Ukrane, which regulates impeachment procedure.

Following the above, Ukrainian MP and Radical Party leader Oleg Lyashko demands from Ukainian Parliament speaker Groisman to immediately convene an extraordinary Parliament session, on which Temporary Parliamentary Commission (hereafter – TPC) is to be set and investigate President Poroshenko corruption crimes and launched the impeachment procedure. To this end, several MPs from cross-parliament fraction Eurooptimists, such as Mustafa Nayem and Sergiy Leshchenko also call on TPC establishment.

EMPR

Image from www.occrp.org.