Parliament Gives Pavlo Lazarenko Chance to Tell “Whole Truth”

On October 12, Parliament voted with a 234-vote majority, virtually without any obstacles and on the first attempt for Verkhovna Rada to send an appeal to the US Congress. According to Hryhory Omelchenko's parliamentary investigative commission, this may well be considered as a dress-rehearsal for another decision — to delete the arrest clause from the February parliamentary resolution on depriving former prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko of his parliamentary immunity.

That those in power are afraid of exactly this kind of developments twenty days before the presidential elections, can be seen from Deputy Prosecutor-General Obykhod's appearance on UT-1 on the eve of that decision. His statement boiled down to “something should be done about this,” for, in case the Ukrainian Parliament and the law-enforcement bodies enter into agreement with the US Congress and the law- enforcement services of Switzerland, Mr. Lazarenko will not be able to face “the most humane court n the world.”

This, however, does not mean the former head of government will be unable to give some revealing evidence, either in America or Switzerland, about corrupt Ukrainian top leaders. The point is (which Mr. Obykhod attempted to bring home to all those interested) that, according to the European Convention, Switzerland can only extradite Lazarenko to Ukraine “under pledge” of holding him in custody. And since there will be no such pledges, thanks to the legislature's efforts, Mr. Lazarenko could well help Ukrainian citizens to make their choice on October 31.

The authors of the appeal — Hryhory Omelchenko and Anatoly Yermak — point out that Leonid Kuchma's cadre and economic policies have caused a situation such that, as assessed by international experts, Ukraine has become one of the world's most corrupt countries, and its national wealth “has been unlawfully misappropriated by a small coterie of corrupt officials.” The amount of convertible currency taken out of Ukraine and hidden on foreign bank accounts is estimated at $20 billion.

This is why Verkhovna Rada turned to the US Congress, “trying to give an unbiased assessment of Mr. Lazarenko's request and to inquire into the circumstances under which Ukraine's top officials opened hard- currency accounts in US banks.”

It should be perhaps noted that the appeal to Congress only came up after the People's Deputies refused to ratify a treaty with the US on reciprocal legal assistance in the investigation of criminal cases, thus greatly disappointing those who favor extradition of Mr. Lazarenko to Ukraine. “There are serious fears that, if extradited to Ukraine, Mr. Lazarenko will not live to stand trial... ,” Hromada Party member Viktor Omelich told The Day . Being aware of “a real threat to the former premier's life and security in his native land,” the Communists, Socialists, and Hromada members thwarted adoption of the US-Ukrainian legal agreement.

Of course, as Oleksandr Zhyr, member of the parliamentary commission to inquire into the Volkov affair, believes, “practice shows that juridical cooperation between any two countries helps solve crimes.” Conversely, by not ratifying the treaty, the People's Deputies protected the Hromada leader from a dangerous relationship with the Ukrainian security services and, at the same time, got an opportunity to use Mr. Lazarenko's testimony to let people “know the truth.”

“And if Mr. Lazarenko said something (and we know he did), Ukrainian citizens should know this, especially during the election campaign. When they drop their ballots into the box, they must know who they are voting for, what they want, and what is in store for them,” Mr. Zhyr thinks.

Now Mr. Lazarenko can speak overseas without fearing to face his “native investigative bodies.” And, judging by the information Antimafia (a private organization headed by Hryhory Omelchenko —Ed. ) has at its disposal, he has something to say. The appeal, drawn up by the leaders of this parliamentary association, notes that “Mr. Lazarenko has testified to US law enforcement agencies about the unlawful activities of President Kuchma of Ukraine, his daughter Olena Franchuk, wife Liudmyla Kuchma, Premier Valery Pustovoitenko, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Volodymyr Horbulin, Security Service Director Leonid Derkach, presidential aide Oleksandr Volkov, People's Deputy Viktor Pinchuk, et al.”

Incidentally, intensified cooperation with the US Congress should signal that the Pinchuk affair and the Volkov affair have not been shelved, despite all attempts to do so.