Prosecutor General addresses local authorities over their allegations of «political persecution»

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko has responded to public statements by some mayors and local authorities about «pressure from the prosecutor's office» and «political persecution».

In his Facebook post, he called these statements attempts by managers to justify themselves.

It is worth recalling that after the searches in the Mykolaiv City Council building on 21 August, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych called them far-fetched and the actions of law enforcement officers a PR stunt. However, on the same day, the regional prosecutor's office responded to the mayor, considering his words as an attempt to divert attention from real violations and question the legality of the investigative actions.

In his own post on 27 August, the Prosecutor General stressed that the number of suspicions and the amount of damage are impressive, and this has nothing to do with «PR» law enforcement. It is about embezzlement of budget funds and abuse of office «with a special cynicism».

«When officials and managers want to justify themselves, it is easier to talk about politics than to explain why millions were stolen from repairs to shelters for children, why hospitals were supplied with unsuitable equipment, and why papier mache was used in schools instead of safe hiding places. The number of suspicions and the amount of damage that impresses everyone is not about PR, it is about embezzlement and abuse of power by local authorities and their accomplices, sometimes with particular cynicism during the war,» Ruslan Kravchenko wrote.

He emphasised that the prosecutor's office acts equally in all regions of the country and warned officials against attempts to politicise the situation or put pressure on law enforcement

«Whether in Kyiv or Bukovyna, in Zaporizhzhia or Kharkiv region, the reaction is the same everywhere: if there is a crime, there will be a suspicion, there will be a court that will put the final point. And attempts to politicise and put pressure on law enforcement are futile. However, I emphasise: do not expect the prosecutor's office to tolerate corruption. Regarding possible violations by law enforcement officers during the investigation, each potential case will be examined and assessed,» the Prosecutor General said.

As you know, on 21 August, the building of Mykolaiv City Council was searched. The next day, Vitaliy Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, said that the tender to select a company to build a sorting line in Mykolaiv was conducted improperly and its terms were unfavourable to the community.

He also added that Mykolaiv needs to build a modern sorting line, but not on the terms that are currently being proposed for approval by the city council.