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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsExclusive: Overhaul of Ukraine prosecution agency buries Manafort inquiries - investigators
Exclusive: Overhaul of Ukraine prosecution agency buries Manafort inquiries - investigators
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-ukraine-exclusi/exclusive-overhaul-of-ukraine-prosecution-agency-buries-manafort-inquiries-investigators-idUSKBN1XB4JZ
KIEV (Reuters) - Sweeping changes to Ukraines top law enforcement agency ordered by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are set to derail a series of long-running criminal investigations, including two related to U.S. President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, three current and former Ukrainian prosecutors told Reuters.
The reorganization, which includes fresh leadership for the agency and mandatory skills testing for prosecutors, represents an upheaval of Ukraines General Prosecutors Office (GPO), one of the most powerful bodies in the country, and one that has long been the target of criticism.
Zelenskiy, who came to power in May, has said the makeover is essential because the office is widely distrusted by Ukrainians and has been seen as a political tool for the well-connected to punish their enemies.
The overhaul, which began in October, comes amid widespread scrutiny of the agency following efforts by Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to get Ukraine to open an investigation into the Republican presidents political rival - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden - and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
Plans to shake up the GPO played a role in a July 25 phone call between Zelenskiy and Trump that is now at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into the U.S. president. On that call, Zelenskiy told Trump he was installing a new head at the agency who would be 100% my person, my candidate and who will look into the situation regarding the Bidens.
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targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,736 posts)crickets
(25,981 posts)I sympathize with Zelensky to a point; he's over a barrel and trying to save his country... but damn.
MagickMuffin
(15,943 posts)They did this before right after he was sworn in. Rudy met with the Ukraine president at the time and got face time with trump if the Ukraine president dropped the investigation into Manafort.
The Ukraine president did and got his one on one face time and the misadmin supplied them with the weapons that Ukraine needed to fight putin.
Firestorm49
(4,035 posts)Once entrenched, its damn hard to erridicate.