The Czech branch of Interpol confirmed this week the detention of Ukraine’s former economy minister Bohdan Danylyshyn, who is accused of abuse of office at home. The former high ranking Ukrainian official, who reportedly visited the Czech Republic for health reasons, remains in custody awaiting a decision on extradition.
Bohdan Danylyshyn
Bohdan Danylyshyn who was Ukraine’s economy minister from late 2007 to early this year in the government of Yulia Tymoshenko, is accused of corruption and losing close to 14 million hryvnias in public funds through “inefficient and excessive expenditure”. He is not the first member of the former administration to face such charges – several other former high ranking-officials have been the target of similar accusations since Tymoshenko’s long-time opponent Viktor Yanukovich defeated her in a tight presidential race in January of this year. Danylyshyn’s former colleagues in cabinet are advising him to ask for political asylum in the Czech Republic, but the former economy minister claims he is innocent and says he looks forward to clearing his name in court. Alexander Sochka, spokesman for Yulia Tymoshenko’s party told Radio Prague’s Russian service the charges were trumped up and were part of the present government’s repressive tactics.
"There are no grounds whatsoever for the persecution of Bohdan Danylyshyn. What is happening to Danylyshyn today and to other former senior officials is a clear indication of the state of affairs in present-day Ukraine, of the decline of democracy. People are persecuted for speaking openly, the media has increasing problems. The Yanukovich government is intent on bolstering its power, on strengthening its dictatorship and it is lashing out against all those in the camp of Yulia Tymoshenko, it is lashing out against the opposition.”
Yulia Tymoshenko
Clearly, the Ukrainian opposition does not expect the former economy minister to get a fair trial and whether or not he is extradited to his homeland will depend on the decision of a Prague court. According to Czech law a person who may face political persecution in his homeland cannot be extradited.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian embassy in Prague on Thursday denied reports by Czech Television that Danylyshyn had turned himself in at the embassy which had then handed him over to Czech authorities. Asked to comment on his detention the embassy spokesman issued a terse “no comment”.
