Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko responded to statements about alleged "prosecutorial pressure" and "political persecution" by some local government officials. Kravchenko emphasized that the prosecutor's office reacts to crimes, not exerts pressure. Kravchenko wrote about this on social media, as reported by UNN.
Details
"In recent days, I have observed statements by some local government officials about 'prosecutorial pressure' and 'political persecution'.
I understand: when officials and managers want to justify themselves, it's easier to talk about politics than to explain why millions were stolen from repairs of shelters for children, why unsuitable equipment was brought to hospitals, and why papier-mâché was installed in schools instead of safe shelters," Kravchenko wrote on social media.
As Kravchenko pointed out, it's not about "prosecutorial pressure." It's about alleged abuses by officials, including:
- signing acts for non-existent work in shelters;
- purchasing generators at inflated prices;
- embezzlement of funds for road and school repairs;
- manipulations with community lands;
- manipulations with hospital budgets or children's nutrition.
The number of suspicions and the amounts of damages, which impress everyone, are not about PR, but about embezzlement and abuse of power by local government representatives and their accomplices, sometimes with particular cynicism during the war. Today, the suspects and their defenders on social media are trying to evoke pity, but where was their pity when they were stealing from schoolchildren?
Kravchenko emphasized that the prosecutor's office does and will do what it is obliged to do: react to crimes. And there is no selectivity here.
"In Kyiv or Bukovyna, in Zaporizhzhia or Kharkiv region — the reaction is the same everywhere: if there is a fact of a crime, there will be a suspicion, there will be a court that will put the final dot.
And attempts at politicization and pressure on law enforcement are futile.
However, I emphasize: do not expect tolerance for corruption from the prosecutor's office. Regarding possible violations by law enforcement officers during investigative actions, every potentially possible case will be studied and receive an appropriate assessment," Kravchenko added.
Context
On August 22, Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office announced the start of a pre-trial investigation into possible abuses by officials of the Mykolaiv City Council during a tender for the procurement of services (Part 2, Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). This concerns a contract for waste sorting worth UAH 1.25 billion for a period of 25 years. Searches were conducted at the city hall. Documentation and other items that may have evidentiary value were seized.
After that, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych called the searches in the city council a "PR campaign" by law enforcement officers and stated that they did not constitute a crime.
The regional prosecutor's office responded, stating that such statements by the mayor are an attempt to divert attention from real facts of violations. "In the public statements of the Mykolaiv City Mayor, there were claims that the searches in the city council are allegedly ineffective and a 'PR campaign' by law enforcement officers. Such statements are an attempt to divert attention from the real facts of violations by officials of the Mykolaiv City Council," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
They also added that the work of the prosecutor's office and law enforcement officers is systemic and aimed at protecting the interests of the community. "This is not 'PR', but the execution of the law. Before evaluating the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies, one should do their own," the prosecutor's office noted.