BY
Many western
readers can identify with “revolving door” employment, whereby senior
legislators and/or civil servants leave the public sector to take up senior
appointments in the private sector, or vice versa. Whilst occasionally
industry specific – former energy ministers to energy companies or finance
ministers to banks etc, , clearly the industry that “lobbying” has become has
the widest scope to facilitate such career moves and corporate strategies.
Ukraine suffers
from Yo-Yo employment – whereby it is seemingly almost impossible to sack
senior officials, be they politicians, judiciary, military, those of the lofty
entrenched ranks within the prosecutors office, the civil service or State
Owned Enterprises.
Of course if
the Ukrainian State would actually jail senior officials rather than sack them
to simply see them returned by various methods, it would perhaps be a little
harder for these people to “Yo-out” before being allowed to “Yo-back in”.
Indeed it
could be argued by the cynical, that the entire system is deliberately set up
to insure sacking senior people is exceptionally difficult – regardless of sins
committed.
For example,
a long standing, corrupt to the core, connected politician can be sure of
reelection by engineering a place high enough on any party list via the
proportional representation vote should they consider their chances slim by way
of first past the post/single mandate election.
Senior police
officers deemed unworthy of the police service have been sacked, simply to see
the corrupt courts state their sacking unlawful and rule for their
reappointment. As
stated a month or so ago – “Take the
on-going saga of police reform as an example. Thousands of police
officers have been sacked either for questionable and unconvincingly explained
wealth, professional inability, or simply criminality.
Many of those sacked have appealed to the corrupt courts of Ukraine that
have stated they have been wrongly sacked and must be allowed to return to
their previous positions. This had led to Khatia Dekanoidze the Chief of
the National Police of Ukraine to state she will sack these people again.
When she does, a reader can guess how the courts will rule – again.
And so it goes on”
“And so it goes on” indeed – Chairman of the
District Administrative Court of Kiev, Pavel Vovk, has called for the National
Police Chief Khatia Dekanoidze to be called to criminal account for her
criticism of the courts and judges. Her response to the “learned” Judge
thus –“Judge
Vovk calls for bringing me to criminal responsibility. An appeal to
remove me from office, and to prosecute because of the criticism..
I am not going to enter into polemics with the person to whom the
Ukrainian society has already issued its verdict.
“I’m more worried about revenge of the old system than statements of
reputationally bankrupt bureaucrats.”
It should be
noted that one of the senior police officers fired by Ms Dekanoidze whose
reinstatement was ruled in favour by the courts is indeed a friend of Judge
Vovk.
Indeed Judge
Vovk is something of a Yo-Yo himself, and Ms Dekanoidze is not far off the mark
regarding society’s verdict about him. The Higher Qualification Committee
of Judges has apparently suspended Judge Vovk no less than six times thus far,
yet continue to avoid making any decisions to dismiss him, nor impose any other
form of discipline.
A cynical
reader may ponder just what Judge Vovk has on others regarding “kompromat”, or
alternatively just whom is keen upon Judge Vovk remaining their puppet Judge.
It will be
interesting to see what happens if/when Yuri Lutsenko becomes Prosecutor
General (possibly within the next 2 weeks) – for it was Judge Vovk that jailed
him for 4 years under the Yanukovych regime. There are old scores to
settle.
Indeed, how
people such as Roman Nasirov remain head of the State Fiscal Service may also
perplex a reader (though a cynical reader may believe that he remains in place
as part of a grubby political deal to insure sufficient votes for the new
Cabinet from otherwise hostile political positions).
As the top
SOE management are often associated with facilitating the requirements of the
vested interests and/or oligarchy that placed them in their roles, or bought
their souls when they reached such dizzy management heights, every effort will
be made for them to keep their jobs, and if they can’t be kept, then to insert
them into another SOE to serve nefarious interests there.
As the Odessa
Regional Prosecutor drama surrounding Nikolai Stoyanov ably displayed, lustrated does not necessarily mean
lustrated – unless it is enforced by public protest, the Ministry of Justice
and presidential intervention eventually in order to win the day.
In short,
sacked it appears, often does not mean sacked. To be fired is often a
temporary thing.
Indeed, it is
not only national management that has trouble sacking people permanently.
It appears that even Presidential Decree is not enough to remove somebody
from their post. On 15th April 2016, Commander of the Naval Forces of
Ukraine Vice-Admiral Sergei Haiduk was sacked by Presidential Decree – the
Decree stating thus “Considering
the position of volunteers and the public and system deficiencies in the
performance of official duties, as well as low credibility among office
staff, decided to dismiss Sergei Haiduk from office of the commander of naval
forces.”
A new
Commander has been appointed, but it is an open secret in Odessa that Sergei
Haiduk still goes to his office, has not removed any of his possessions from
that office, and intends to hang around wanting to take part in the 9th May
Victory Day commemorations at the very least.
In short for
almost one month, even when dismissed by Presidential Decree,
former Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Vice-Admiral Sergei Haiduk
still “has not left the building”.
(Despite the
diplomatic wording for his dismissal within the Presidential Decree, the
reasoning is more specifically a known pro-Russian leaning, deliberate reform
obstruction, and nepotism – as became public knowledge in January 2016 when a public petition to sack him for these very reasons began to gather
momentum.)
A change of
President may see him return to a senior naval role once more – as would be
expected by decades of Yo-Yo employment precedent.
It may
be Ms Dekanoidze will win the day over sacked really meaning sacked within
the National Police, particularly with the probable appointment of Yuri
Lutsenko as Prosecutor General – Judge Vovk may finally receive the official
verdict that public opinion long since ruled. Anything resembling a
genuine lustration of the judiciary would have seen Judge Vovk go long ago –
rather than being subject to half a dozen suspensions.
Open party
lists may yet grace the proportional part of the electoral system, thus
removing the “safe” reelection route for the worst of the worst of the
political class.
Perhaps former Commander
of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Vice-Admiral Sergei Haiduk will eventually leave
the building as demanded a month ago by Presidential Decree.
Maybe those
“owned” within SOEs will one day be forced out and remain forced out of such
companies.
It could be
that pigs may eventually fly and senior officials actually be jailed for
significant lengths of time.
In the
meantime a reader is left to marvel (or perhaps convulse) at the Yo-Yo
employment of the most senior, most odious and most corrupt in Ukraine.
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