Lazarenko's home makes headlines (09/19/99)

Lazarenko's home makes headlines

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Both The New York Times and MSNBC.com have reported in recent days on the posh California estate purchased for cash by Pavlo Lazarenko, the former prime minister of Ukraine who is seeking political asylum in the United States.

Mr. Lazarenko is currently being held in a federal detention center because he attempted to enter the United States on an invalid visa. Switzerland is seeking Mr. Lazarenko's extradition on charges that he embezzled Ukrainian government funds and funneled them through bank accounts abroad.

MSNBC reported that the mansion purchased for $6.75 million in northern California is occupied by Mr. Lazarenko's wife and three children. A sales brochure for the 18-acre estate, once occupied by Hollywood star Eddie Murphy, lists five swimming pools, nine bathrooms, two helicopter pads and 2,100-square-foot master bedroom, reportec MSNBC. The Times noted that the estate also has five dog kennels, a barn-sized ballroom, granite floors inlaid with brass and gold-plated doorknobs in the 41-room mansion.

Where did he get the money to pay for it? "Obviously it was stolen," MSNBC quoted Dr. Roman Szporluk of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University as saying. "I cannot imagine any other source," he added.

Mr. Lazarenko continues to insist that he is a victim of political persecution in Ukraine. The Times reported that Michael Handwerker, an attorney representing Mr. Lazarenko, said his client contests the charges against him in Europe and dismisses them as politically motivated.

The Times also wrote that "questions have also arisen about how Lazarenko's own economic position has improved. As a political official who traversed the line between public authority and private deal making, Lazarenko made money buying and selling natural gas contracts when he was energy minister, U.S. authorities say. As prime minister, he may have pocketed millions of dollars from state programs, according to Ukrainian and Swiss authorities."

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