Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Resigns Amid Corruption Scandal
In a significant turn of events, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Andriy Kostin, has announced his resignation following a serious corruption scandal that has rocked the country. The scandal involves allegations that numerous prosecutors obtained fraudulent disability certificates, allowing them to receive social security benefits while evading military conscription.
A statement released by the General Prosecutor’s Office indicated that Kostin’s resignation came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened a Security Council meeting to address the issue of “fake disability certificates” being issued to officials within state bodies.
In his resignation statement, Kostin expressed his unwavering belief in the President’s stance, stating, “I consider the position of President Zelensky to be absolutely correct regarding the need not only to annul all unlawful decisions concerning the granting of disabilities, relevant pension payments, and other benefits, but also to implement clear legislative and organizational changes, as well as personal responsibility. This includes political responsibility.”
The scandal first came to light last week when a Ukrainian journalist published a report revealing that nearly 50 prosecutors in the western region of Khmelnytskyi had falsely registered as disabled. Following the publication, Kostin initiated an internal investigation which confirmed that 61 prosecutors from Khmelnytskyi had indeed received dubious disability certificates.
In response to the growing crisis, President Zelenskyy has directed his cabinet to draft legislation aimed at overhauling Ukraine’s disability assessment system. He emphasized the necessity of dissolving the current medical commissions by the end of 2024. In his nightly address, Zelenskyy remarked, “There are hundreds of such instances of clearly unjustified disabilities among officials. All of this needs to be dealt with thoroughly and swiftly.”
Additionally, Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, has revealed that 64 members of various medical commissions have been identified as suspects in ongoing criminal investigations for 2024, with nine individuals already tried and convicted for their involvement.