Reports on lavish lifestyle of Yushchenko's son stir controversy

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Evidence that Andrii Yushchenko, the son of Viktor Yushchenko, enjoys a luxurious lifestyle, and apparent attempts to cover it up, have apparently cast suspicions among the Ukrainian public of corruption related to the president and his family.

In addition, the president's reaction to media reports about his son's lifestyle appear to have soured his relations with the press.

President Yushchenko lost his cool at a July 25 press conference when Serhii Leschenko, a 24-year-old reporter for Ukrayinska Pravda, asked him whether it's ethical, in a country such as Ukraine, for the president's son to be driving a luxurious car and using expensive cellphones.

In asking the question, Mr. Leschenko was paraphrasing Mr. Yushchenko when during the Orange Revolution he declared on the "maidan" (Independence Square) that it was simply immoral for Ukraine's government leaders to live so lavishly while the majority suffered.

During the exchange with Mr. Leschenko, Mr. Yushchenko lost his temper and told Mr. Leschenko, "Conduct yourself as a polite journalist, not like a hired killer."

In describing how he advised the 19-year-old Andrii to deal with journalists probing his spending at restaurants, Mr. Yushchenko said, "Pay the check in front of the journalist's mug (morda), and then go to court."

The president's use of offensive language shocked the dozens of journalists gathered in the Cabinet of Ministers building, where Mr. Yushchenko held a press conference after a grueling eight-hour-plus session with his ministers.

Throughout his public life, President Yushchenko had held the press in high regard, supporting their crucial role in Ukrainian society and enjoying a largely positive relationship with reporters. But the probes into his son's personal life clearly irritated the president and drew awkward explanations from him.

For several weeks, the popular website Ukrayinska Pravda had been investigating the spending habits and luxurious lifestyle of Andrii Yushchenko, a third-year student of international relations at Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv.

Ukrayinska Pravda first reported on July 19 that Andrii Yushchenko was driving a BMW M6, the only such model in Ukraine, with a Czech license plate. Its retail value is about $160,000, according to a BMW dealership in Kyiv.

Andrii Yushchenko has also been using a Vertu cellular phone, which has models that range in cost between $5,850 and $52,450.

Ukrayinska Pravda also reported that witnesses have seen Andrii Yushchenko at an Odesa night club paying for seven bills at $100 apiece.

In Kyiv, the President's son reportedly frequents a night club called Decadence, where he was reportedly seen drinking the French champagne Krystal, which costs more than $1,197, according to Ukrayinska Pravda.

All this would seem like tabloid gossip if not for the perception that such a lifestyle runs counter to the idealistic campaign rhetoric Mr. Yushchenko delivered during the Orange Revolution before the Ukrainian public, who expected a different standard of conduct from Mr. Yushchenko and his family.

It was well known that former President Leonid Kuchma's daughter Olena Franchuk often received expensive presents such as watches and jewelry from her father's entourage.

To assure the Ukrainian public that such patronage would cease among government leaders, President Yushchenko stated as recently as July 19 that he welcomes his family being held accountable for their actions.

"I give you my word that for every one of my actions I will personally hold myself accountable to you," President Yushchenko told an Internal Affairs Ministry meeting. "For every private activity my family holds itself accountable to you."

The scandal has the potential to unravel even further because no one is quite sure just where Andrii Yushchenko obtained the money to afford such luxuries, the appearance of which smacks of corruption.

To add further suspicion, discrepancies exist in the explanations provided by father and son.

Andrii Yushchenko claimed that a friend was letting him use the BMW M6, but said he would not disclose the person's name in order to protect his privacy.

At his July 25 press conference, however, President Yushchenko said his son was renting the car with money earned at a consulting firm, which also enabled his son to afford two bodyguards and a driver.

However, Andrii Yushchenko never said he worked at a consulting firm; rather, he is employed by a construction company and an insurance firm.

Without a college degree and only part-time employment, however, Andrii Yushchenko could not possibly earn more than $600 a month, which is an extreme salary in and of itself, according to Ukrayinska Pravda.

Iryna Heraschenko, the president's press secretary, told Ukrayinska Pravda that Andrii Yushchenko was paying about $1,000 a month in rent for the BMW.

However, to rent even less-expensive BMW models costs $250 for a single day, the Kyiv auto rental firm Mia-Avto informed Ukrayinska Pravda.

Furthermore, Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko acknowledged on July 27 that it is illegal for a Ukrainian citizen to rent a foreign-owned car.

Therefore, even if Andrii Yushchenko was truly renting the BMW, he would have been breaking the law.

"If the president's son is not living on the means that he's able to live on, and driving a car that's not only expensive in this country but throughout Europe, and going to the most expensive nightclubs, then people should know about this because it is a potential sign of corruption," said Viktoria Siumar, the editor-in-chief of the Kyiv-based Institute of Mass Information.

As for the cellphone, Andrii Yushchenko said it was a gift from a friend.

Following the July 25 press conference, President Yushchenko had a harsh man-to-man talk with him, his son told Ukrayina Moloda on July 27.

"When I met with my father after all these huge scandals, he took the Vertu cellphone in his hands and made a motion as if he were throwing it," Andrii Yushchenko said. "He wanted to see my reaction."

Andrii Yushchenko said that rather than getting rid of the gift, he would simply leave it at home.

Ukrayinska Pravda also found out that Andrii Yushchenko is living in the posh Lypky neighborhood near the Bessarabskyi Market.

He is renting a 200-square-meter apartment, enormous by Kyiv standards, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. Ms. Heraschenko claimed that Andrii Yushchenko was paying only "a few hundred dollars" a month for the apartment.

Considering that the rental price of a nearby Lypky apartment of about 108 square meters is $2,200 a month, Ukrayinska Pravda reported, such a claim could only be false.

Not only could Andrii Yushchenko not have afforded the car - it's also apparent that Viktor Yushchenko could not have afforded it either.

He has been a Ukrainian government employee his entire career, implying very modest salaries. As president, his current salary is about $4,680 a month, or $56,160 annually.

Kateryna Yushchenko's income is significantly larger than that of her husband. However, Andrii is the president's son from his first marriage, and it's unlikely the first lady would pay for his luxuries.

While President Yushchenko's temper made television and newspaper headlines in Ukraine, Ukrayinska Pravda's aggressive style of journalism has also raised eyebrows.

In its reporting of Andrii Yushchenko's lavish residency, the website posted the young man's street address, including what floor he lives on and what his apartment looks like from the outside, for all the world to see.

Printing such personal information is restricted in American journalism, unless it is absolutely relevant to a story.

However, many Ukrainian journalists argue that it is entirely relevant, considering that President Yushchenko has not provided adequate answers about his son's lifestyle.

"They still haven't answered the necessary questions, and their answers are either contradictory or illogical," Ms. Siumar said. "Excuse me, but I would like to know what consulting firm a 19-year-old can work for and make this kind of money."

The scandal is reaching a critical stage because President Yushchenko's conduct will set an example for all of Ukraine's politicians, Ms. Siumar said. He can come clean with the necessary explanations and documents, and emerge from an embarrassing situation with his honor intact. "Otherwise, the situation has the potential to become very dangerous," Ms. Siumar commented. "We can return to those times that existed before."

Numerous prominent journalists signed a letter written by Ukrayinska Pravda's editors requesting that President Yushchenko apologize to Mr. Leschenko for his disrespectful answer.

Incidentally, President Yushchenko signed a letter written to Ukrayinska Pravda the following day in which he explained his perspective on the conflict but did not offer an apology.

"It seems that the history of the article in Ukrayinska Pravda has become a joint test - of the readiness of the authorities and the media to live under new conditions, of the readiness to respect journalists' right to information and of the readiness to respect [a] citizen's right to privacy," Mr. Yushchenko wrote in a letter to Ukrayinska Pravda following the incident.

The scandal has revealed a new climate in which journalists are pushing their enhanced freedoms to scrutinize the families of public figures and hold them accountable to their campaign promises.

As a result of the family scandal, President Yushchenko has now joined the ranks of Western leaders such as George W. Bush, whose daughters were exposed for underage drinking by the press.

Observers note that it is somewhat ironic that the leader who ensured and expanded journalistic freedom through his election is now frustrated with it.

They note that it is also ironic that these journalists who are exposing the president would have acted with far more restraint and caution, and might have faced censorship, had Viktor Yanukovych been elected president.

But Ukraine's journalists see it differently.

"Yanukovych is not our president - Yushchenko is," Ms. Siumar said.

"We had very high expectations of Yushchenko because he said he'd represent European ideals. And now we expect those ideals and ethical norms that he represents to be demonstrated in front of others."

"I agree that if Yanukoyych were president, these questions would not have arisen. But Yanukovych never said he was honest and that you should follow his example and also live honestly," she added.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 31, 2005, No. 31, Vol. LXXIII

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