Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office initiates investigation into alleged tax evasion by the Prosecutor General
The head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP), Nazar Kholodnytskyi said that an investigation has begun following the statements of the leader of the Radical Party Oleh Lyashko about the house and tax declaration of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko, UNN news agency reports.
"The SAP responded to the statements made by the leader of the Radical Party, which he made during the consideration of the petition. We submitted his two applications to the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the initiation of criminal proceedings on account of the facts that were voiced," Kholodnytskyi said.
He confirmed that Lyashko's application had been examined, that proceedings had started and that the investigation continues.
The head of the SAP explained that the investigation was started on account of "the house of the Prosecutor General and regarding his declaration."
Lyashko accused Lutsenko of tax evasion on July 11 in the Verkhovna Rada’s session hall. "Show an example to the whole country. Pay taxes, particularly for your 900-square-meter house, which is credited to your 76-year-old father-in-law. You have put this house into operation in 2011, and your father-in-law has been retired for 12 years. Evaluate it and pay taxes for it," the leader of the Radical Party said.
Lyashko noted that Lutsenko does not have the moral right to blame anyone for tax evasion, since he violates the laws himself.
Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada did not support the proposal of the Prosecutor General's Office to lift immunity from the people's deputy from the Radical Party, Andriy Lozovyi, who was accused of deliberately evading taxes since 2007.
Lutsenko was outraged by the refusal of Verkhovna Rada to support the proposal of the Prosecutor General's Office and promised to return this issue for consideration in the fall.