Lazarenko Fights Back

The date of hearing his case at a San Francisco court has not yet been set, according to Mr. Lazarenko himself, but his request is under consideration. In reality, the Ukrainian leadership was denied extradition of Mr. Lazarenko. False rumors are being circulated in Ukraine by forces which want to discredit Lazarenko himself and the Hromada party, the ex-premier's statement says. This, threatens Mr. Lazarenko, will not remain unanswered.

As The Day has already reported, last Tuesday chief of the consular department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Victor Kyryk said that a first-instance court in New York had denied Mr. Lazarenko political asylum in the USA, and it was decided to transfer him to San Francisco pending a decision on his deportation. Mr. Lazarenko's wife and children are there now.

The question of whether the information is reliable even came up when Mr. Lazarenko was detained in Switzerland. At that time, Ukraine in fact lost the case, in spite of all efforts, for the Hromada leader was released on huge bail. This case was not dropped, but the Swiss prosecutor of the Lazarenko affair does not seem worried much about further developments, though he says he definitely wants to attend the trial in the US. Mr. Lazarenko's lawyers both in Switzerland and the United States are certain only that the situation will develop favorably for their client (and for themselves). Mr. Lazarenko continues to insist that his case is political and the charges leveled against him by the Ukrainian side are totally groundless and that nobody can pressure the American officials who are the only ones capable of putting an end to this story.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office keep silent. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made an official statement, allowing Mr. Kyryk to read out a document mentioning no sources. What is known for sure is that now Mr. Lazarenko categorically refuses, as he did in Swiss custody, to see the Consul-General of Ukraine and rejects any other contacts with Ukrainian officials. On its part, Hromada asserts that it maintains uninterrupted communication with Mr. Lazarenko and his lawyers. However, when the Swiss case began, Hromada members vehemently denied the very fact of Mr. Lazarenko's detention, let alone his Panamanian passport, also on the basis of allegedly reliable information.

What seems most reliable is that the US will not extradite Mr. Lazarenko to Ukraine. At least, not now. Under American law, all information is confidential until the final judicial ruling. Mr. Lazarenko's lawyers seem to be able to convince the US courts that their client now faces real danger in Ukraine, while nobody, even President Clinton, is authorized to pressure the American court.