MP and chief editor comment on public release of the “black bookkeeping” documents of the Party of Regions describing bribing schemes NS name the responsible.
Kyiv, May 31, 2016. Documents on expenses of the Party of Regions on its political activities have been made public, said MP Sergiy Leshchenko and editor-in-chief of “Ukrainska Pravda” news outlet Sevgil Musayeva-Borovyk at a press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “These are expenses on Ukrainian politics from corrupt sources. They demonstrate in what way the Party of Regions was being financed and what the money in question was spent on,” explained Leshchenko. According to him these are receipts certifying receiving large sums in cash for accomplishing defined activities. The documents contain surnames, sums received and goals that they were set to achieve. They are accompanied by signatures. The documents are composed of 22 pages and relate to the period of the second half of 2012. The amount in question is USD 66 million. “However some documents that cover October-November, which was the most active period of the 2012 election campaign, are missing,” added Leshchenko.
Among the biggest expense lines of this “bookkeeping” are the bribes to the members of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission, to MPs from other factions for their votes cast for the Party of Regions as well as to third parties. “There is a very serious material demonstrating that Nasha Ukraina party was financed in 2012 from accounts of the Party of Regions. In a similar way the Communist party was partially financed,” said Leshchenko. According to Sevgil Musayeva-Borovyk, chief curators of the Party of Regions in the parliament were former head of the budget committee Yevhen Genner and MP Vitaliy Kalyuzhny. “They were receiving large sums of money to carry out activities of the party. […] This money had its source – mostly likely it was obtained from the state budget through corrupt schemes. It demonstrates how important is to change the legislation on transparent financing of parties,” Musayeva-Borovyk is convinced.
According to Leshchenko, the documents also disclose the information on political PR on TV channels Inter and ICTV. “This money was used to pay for editorial materials in media and for preparation of loyal materials. These expenses account for USD one million monthly. […] It took place in the most active period of the election campaign. The money was used not to place political advertising that was legally processed through a foundation and monitored by designated observers, the money was used to place paid editorial materials,” the MP explained.
Sergiy Leshchenko and Sevgil Musayeva-Borovyk added that after the information on these documents in place was released, a row of politicians in office made statements that their names will be mentioned in the lists and disproved their involvement in advance. “But in the documents that we have these names are not mentioned, they’ve a bit exaggerated with anticipating,” said Leshchenko. He said he was implying Oleg Lyashko’s Radical Party and Svoboda party.