Panama Papers disclose offshore holdings
WASHINGTON – A massive report called “The Panama Papers,” published simultaneously by multiple news organizations in multiple languages on April 3, divulged details about the offshore holdings of 12 current or former heads of states, including Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The leaked documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca also revealed that relatives or associates of 17 other current or former leaders held offshore accounts, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Several world leaders on April 4 confronted the report head-on, saying the report did not reveal anything implicating them in wrongdoing. Mr. Poroshenko took to Facebook to defend himself after the leaked documents reportedly showed that he moved his confectionary business, Roshen, to the British Virgin Islands in August 2014 amid some of the heaviest fighting between Kyiv’s forces and Russia-backed separatists. “Having become president, I recused myself from the management of my assets and delegated this to the respective consulting and law firms,” Mr. Poroshenko wrote. “I expect that they will provide all necessary details to the Ukrainian and international media.” He added that he took the issues of income declaration, paying taxes, and conflicts of interest “very seriously” and was “in full compliance with the Ukrainian and international private law.” In Moscow, meanwhile, the Kremlin slammed the leak of the tax documents as an attack aimed primarily at Mr. Putin. The Russian president is not named in the leaked documents. But the report claims to have documented a vast network of shady money transfers, several of which it details, used by close associates of Mr. Putin to funnel as much as $2 billion into offshore shell companies. “Putin, Russia, our country, our stability and the upcoming [parliamentary] elections are the main target, specifically to destabilize the situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on April 4. He added that there was “nothing new or concrete” about the Russian leader in the leaks and suggested that U.S. intelligence was behind the revelations. “We know this so-called journalist community,” Mr. Peskov said. “There are a lot of journalists whose main profession is unlikely to be journalism: a lot of former officials from the [U.S.] State Department, the CIA, and other special services.” The information stems from millions of e-mails, spreadsheets, corporate records, and others materials leaked from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm with representatives in dozens of countries that specializes in setting up shell companies, the report says. The leaked data was initially provided to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. It was then shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), based in Washington, which collaborated with media outlets around the world over the course of a year to organize, analyze, and publish the materials. (RFE/RL, with reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, Reuters, UNIAN, AFP and AP)
Radicals seek impeachment probe
KYIV – The head of Ukraine’s populist Radical Party has called for an impeachment investigation into President Petro Poroshenko over allegations he used an offshore account to avoid tax. In a televised interview on April 4, Oleh Liashko said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (AKB) must investigate Mr. Poroshenko for allegedly hiding significant amounts of money in offshore accounts. According to a massive leak of documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca over the weekend, Mr. Poroshenko has been tied to secret offshore companies on the British Virgin Islands. The AKB said on April 4 that it has no power to begin an investigation against President Poroshenko. The Ukrainian Procurator General’s office said it has seen no evidence that Mr. Poroshenko committed a crime based on the leaked documents. (RFE/RL, based on reporting on UNIAN and Reuters)
Poroshenko on Panama Papers leak
TOKYO – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has defended himself in the massive leak of records on offshore accounts that has named political officials, businesspeople, and celebrities from around the world. Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo on April 6, Mr. Poroshenko said that an offshore holding company set up for his candy business was a necessary step to put his assets into a blind trust when he became president in 2014. Commentators say the leaks have raised suspicion that such offshore entities were set up to avoid taxes. Iceland’s prime minister resigned as the scandal deepened on April 5. Mr. Poroshenko insisted that his case is different than Iceland’s or Russia’s, and that the company was not set up to minimize taxes. He is in Japan this week to meet the Japanese prime minister and business leaders. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and Interfax)
Savchenko begins ‘dry’ hunger strike
MOSOW – Ukrainian military pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who has been sentenced by a Russian court to 22 years in prison, has started a “dry” hunger strike, refusing to consume both food and water. Ms. Savchenko’s lawyer, Mark Feygin , said on April 6 that his client’s demand is “her immediate return to Ukraine.” Ms. Savchenko, 34, was sentenced on March 22 on charges including complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine in 2014. The sentence came into effect on April 5. She refused to appeal the verdict and sentence, saying she does not recognize the legitimacy of the probe against her. Ms. Savchenko denies the charges and has gone on several hunger strikes protesting her detention and the court case. Ms. Savchenko said she was seized in eastern Ukraine in June 2014 while fighting with a volunteer battalion against Russia-backed separatists and taken to Russia illegally. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by UNIAN and TASS)
U.S., Poroshenko on Dutch vote
KYIV – The United States has urged Dutch voters to approve Ukraine’s cooperation agreement with the European Union in a referendum on April 4, even as Ukraine’s president predicted victory. “We’re absolutely sure that European integration and the implementation of our Association Agreement will not be stopped,” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on April 1. Mr. Poroshenko met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington and afterward stressed the friendship between their countries. He accused the Dutch anti-EU activists who demanded the referendum of exploiting the Ukraine question as part of an agenda to strike a blow against the EU. The cooperation deal with Ukraine puts Kyiv on a path toward eventual EU membership. “The real purpose was an internal Dutch discussion about the future of the European Union and internal political clashes,” Poroshenko said. “This is very dangerous – that a 45-million-person country could become the victim of this.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said that while it is up to Dutch voters to decide, “we believe that an Association Agreement is in the best interests of Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Europe.” The agreement “is critical to ensuring that Ukraine’s leaders continue to make the needed and important reforms that will contribute to a more peaceful, democratic, prosperous, and stable continent,” she said. Ms. Trudeau added that “it will provide new economic opportunities for the Netherlands, for Ukraine, and for Europe as a whole.” European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker last month sought to assure Dutch voters who oppose further expansion of the EU after years of incorporating other Eastern European states that he doesn’t expect Ukraine to join the EU for another 25 years. He has warned that a rejection of the treaty by Dutch voters could lead to a “continental crisis.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS
Pope announces collection for Ukraine
VATICAN CITY – Describing it as an expression of his “constant thoughts and prayer” for victims of the ongoing violence in Ukraine, Pope Francis announced on April 3 that he’s asked all the Catholic churches of Europe to take up a special collection on April 24 to fund humanitarian relief, according to Crux, an independent Catholic news site. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, almost 10,000 people have been killed amid fighting between Ukrainian forces and combined Russian-separatist forces in the eastern part of the country, generating roughly a million new migrants and refugees and causing more than $115 billion in estimated economic losses, Crux wrote. “My thoughts go to all the populations that hunger and thirst for peace, and in particular, of the drama of those suffering the consequences of the violence in Ukraine, of how many remain affected by hostilities that have already taken thousands of lives, and of how many have been driven to leave by the grave situation that still continues,” the pontiff said Sunday. He said that “above all, those affected are the elderly and children.” Pope Francis added: “Beyond accompanying them with my constant thoughts and prayers, I’ve decided to promote humanitarian assistance for them. …I invite all the faithful to unite themselves to this initiative of the pope with a generous contribution. This gesture of charity, in addition to relieving material suffering, is intended to express my personal closeness and solidarity, and that of the entire Church, for Ukraine.” Pope Francis has called attention to the violence in Ukraine on multiple occasions, most recently in his March 27 Urbi et Orbi message for Easter. In that address, the pontiff called for a “definitive solution” to the conflict and expressed his hope for “the Lord of Life” to inspire humanitarian aid, “including the liberation of those who are detained.” His new outreach comes after some leaders in Ukraine’s 5-million-strong Greek-Catholic Church objected to the pontiff’s February 12 meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba, where the two men issued a joint declaration seen by some Greek-Catholics as an effort to muzzle criticism of Russia’s role in the conflict. Later, Francis acknowledged understanding why Greek-Catholics might have felt “betrayed” by the declaration, describing the document as “debatable.” In early March, the pontiff met in the Vatican with Patriarch Sviatoslav and other leaders of the church’s Permanent Synod, praising Greek-Catholics in Ukraine for their “tireless witnesses of hope” amid hardships. (UNIAN)
Russian oil products to be banned in Ukraine
KYIV – Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says he will introduce a ban on oil products from Russia. Ukraine has put up stiff barriers against goods from Russia over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia has responded with its own trade ban on Ukrainian goods. Mr. Yatsenyuk told a government meeting in Kyiv on April 6 that “we have introduced a number of sanctions against Russia. But for some reason, one of the key elements – the purchase of Russian oil products – did not make this list.” He asked the economy minister to “develop a mechanism for banning the purchase of oil products from the aggressor, which Russia is.” Mr. Yatsenyuk added that he wanted to exclude Russia from proposed legislation eliminating import tariffs on used automobiles. RFE/RL, based on reporting by AFP and Interfax)
Poroshenko and Obama meet
WASHINGTON – In the course of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. The heads of state discussed the situation in the Donbas and Crimea. They also coordinated efforts aimed at full implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia. The two presidents discussed the development of strategic partnership between Ukraine and USA. Particular attention was paid to the necessity of prompt formation of reform-oriented coalition and government in Ukraine. Mr. Obama confirmed U.S. willingness to provide the third tranche of loan guarantees in the amount of $1 billion upon completion of the formation of a new government in Ukraine. (UNIAN)
White House promises ‘security assistance’
WASHINGTON – The White House announced that it will provide Ukraine with $335 million more in “security assistance” after a meeting on March 31 between U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The aid is badly needed as Ukraine has faced an acute economic crisis since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and fomented a separatist revolt in Ukraine’s east. While Washington supports Ukraine’s pro-Western government, it has been concerned about corruption in Kyiv. Those concerns were addressed in part earlier this week when Ukraine’s Parliament sacked the country’s chief prosecutor, who allegedly was stalling high-profile corruption investigations. The White House said Mr. Biden told Mr. Poroshenko that more aid will come if he keeps up efforts to install a new reform-minded government. An attempt earlier that week to form a new governing coalition failed after one faction raised demands that would have rolled back some reforms sought by the West. “The vice-president welcomed the efforts… to form a stable, reform-oriented government, and stressed that this step, as well as the enactment of needed reforms, are critical to unlocking international economic assistance, including the third $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee,” the White House said. A readout of their meeting released by the White House also reported: “The leaders condemned the illegal imprisonment of pilot Nadiya Savchenko, and called for her release and for immediate and unimpeded medical access. The vice-president reaffirmed U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing that the U.S. continues to reject the occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, and reiterated the importance of maintaining sanctions against Russia until Minsk is fully implemented.” (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters and AFP; The White House, Office of the Vice-President)
Pro-Russian Crimean Tatar TV airs
SYMFEROPOL, Ukraine – A new television channel in the Crimean Tatar language has started satellite broadcasts from Russia-annexed Crimea where the Russia-imposed government has shut down virtually all independent Crimean Tatar news organizations. Ruslan Balbek, a deputy prime minister of the de facto government, said the aim of the Millet (Nation) channel was to counter “anti-Russian propaganda.” The Crimean Tatar community protested in August 2015, when the channel was official registered, labeling it a “pro-Kremlin propaganda tool.” The channel began test broadcasting in September. Its programs will now be transmitted via Russia’s Yamal 401 satellite to Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia and Turkey, the channel’s Director General Seyran Mambetov said on April 1. Exactly one year earlier, Crimea’s Russia-backed authorities shut down Crimean Tatars’ long-serving television channel, ATR TV, and its several affiliates. That move was condemned by the United States, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Amnesty International as further intimidation of the peninsula’s Crimean Tatars. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Rossiya 24 and TASS)
New charges against library director
MOSCOW – The director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow, who has already been accused of inciting extremism and ethnic hatred, is facing fresh charges. The lawyer for Natalya Sharina said on March 31 that his client will be formally charged by Russian investigators on April 5 with two counts of misallocating library funds. The lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, said the authorities had “trumped up” new charges after realizing their initial case against Ms. Sharina was too weak. Ms. Sharina, 58, was detained in October 2015 and charged with inciting extremism and ethnic hatred by carrying books by the Ukrainian ultranationalist author Dmytro Korchynskyi, whose works are banned in Russia. Ms. Sharina, who is under house arrest, rejects the charges, saying the books were planted in the Library of Ukrainian Literature by police. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Interfax and TASS)