Cut by Yushchenko’s digs, Lutsenko bangs door

“I would like to tell you that you are good-for-nothing ministers and heads. You have disgraced the nation by your incompetent work,” he said. 

At a Dec. 8 meeting of the country’s law-enforcement agencies, Pres Yushchenko bashed heads of PGO, SBU, interior ministry, justice ministry, tax administration, and customs service for being involved or covering for corruption. Following the criticism, Interior Minister Lutsenko left the meeting.

“I would like to tell you that you are good-for-nothing ministers and heads. You are humiliating the nation with your incompetent work,” he said.

The president added the ministers have fallen short of the expectations of 46 million Ukrainians who wanted corruption ended. “Do you know why you can’t curb corruption effectively?” the incumbent questioned. “The police, prosecution and other law-enforcement agencies know the answer – because you are conspirators in this dreadful process,” Yushchenko said.

Following these accusations, Lutsenko got up and asked to be excused from the meeting, adding the accusation were not fair. After getting Yushchenko’s consent, Lutsenko left the meeting.

When he left, the president said,” Let me explain why the minister has left. If I was him, I wouldn’t have come to the meeting and would have resigned long ago.”

The president then criticized the country’s poor corruption level which dropped from the 99-th to 146-th position in the international rating.

The number of corruption cases investigated successfully has dropped by 40%, he said. “It is the first signal that the interior ministry is engaged in politics and overlooking its main functions,” Yushchenko added.

Yushchenko said corruption stems today from the highest-ranking officials. “That is why I am blaming ministers and heads of agencies in the first place,” the president stressed.

He said in every country the cabinet must lead the fight against graft. “How can the cabinet fight corruption when 20% of corruption cases against police and 25% against customs officials are closed by the cabinet?” Yushchenko asked. Many investigations are launched and then closed, most probably to scare the people, Yushchenko assumed.

“Why not suspend the activities of the interior ministry for the remaining 40 days [before the presidential election on Jan. 17] to stop harassing the nation?” the incumbent asked.