Oct. 22, 2024, 5:22 p.m.
Prosecutor General Kostin resigns over scandals with fictitious disabilities of prosecutors
Цей матеріал також доступний українською641
Photo: The Kyiv Independent
Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has announced that he is resigning from the post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine due to the facts of abuse in the system of prosecution bodies of Ukraine.
This was reported in the Office of the Prosecutor General.
The Prosecutor General said that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had held a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on the immoral situation with fake disabilities of government officials.
"Currently, inspections are underway at all levels of the state, and criminal proceedings are being investigated. Many shameful facts of abuse have been established in the system of prosecutor's offices of Ukraine. I believe that the position of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is absolutely correct that not only should all unlawful decisions on disability, relevant pension and other accruals be canceled, but there should be not only clear legislative and organizational changes, but also personal responsibility. This includes political responsibility. I am grateful to the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for their trust. But in this situation, I consider it right to announce my resignation from the post of Prosecutor General," the Prosecutor General said.
The Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC) is a special institution in the healthcare system that conducts medical and social examination of persons applying for disability determination upon referral from a healthcare institution after diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation measures have been taken, if there is information confirming a persistent impairment of body functions caused by diseases, consequences of injuries or congenital defects that cause limitation of life.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officers searched the homes of the head of the Mykolaiv Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC) and her son as part of an investigation into a mobilization evasion scheme. During the searches, $450,000 in cash and a collection of jewelry were seized.
The woman hid the jewelry at different addresses. Law enforcement officers found the bulk of the money and jewelry in her son's apartment. He is an intern at a medical school and has Russian citizenship, which was confirmed during the search - his Russian passport, which he received before the war at the Russian Consulate General in Odesa, was seized.
In July 2022, the parliament supported the appointment of Andriy Kostin to the post of Prosecutor General, with 299 MPs voting in favor. Andriy Kostin is a native of Odesa and a graduate of Mechnikov Odesa National University with a degree in Law. He is the Deputy Chairman of the Bar Council of Odesa Region and Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Odesa Regional Bar Association.
In April, some media outlets cited their sources as saying that the president was planning to transfer Andriy Kostin as ambassador to the Netherlands and appoint Oleh Kiper, the head of Odesa regional administration, in his place.
