Ukraines Tymoshenko and Zelenskyy Engage in High-Stakes Graft Dispute

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Yulia Tymoshenko, an opposition politician, has been accused of attempting to hinder new cabinet appointments amid tensions with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The allegations come as Tymoshenko’s approval ratings have declined, making her a less formidable rival to the president.

Tymoshenko, who served as Ukraine’s first female prime minister in 2004, has faced criticism for her recent shift towards neo-conservative nationalism. She has clashed with Zelenskyy on several occasions, including when she called him a “narrow-minded dictator” and accused him of orchestrating corruption charges against her.

On Wednesday, Tymoshenko was charged with “buying” lawmakers’ votes by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. Investigators searched her party’s office for 12 hours and published a recording of Tymoshenko discussing bribes of $10,000 per vote with a Servant of the People lawmaker.

Prosecutors described the scheme as a long-term mechanism involving advance payments and instructions on voting. The recordings also revealed that Tymoshenko’s party aimed to use this method to influence the appointment of new defence and energy ministers.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s lower house of parliament, has been unable to vote in Denys Shmygal as the new energy minister due to ongoing blackouts caused by Russia’s missile and drone strikes. Former digital development minister Mikhail Fyodorov was instead voted in as the new defence minister on Wednesday.

Tymoshenko’s party holds 25 seats in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada, but its votes have become increasingly essential for Zelenskyy, whose control over the majority held by Servant of the People has been slipping. Analysts say that Tymoshenko’s reluctance to facilitate key minister appointments constitutes an “outrageous crime” and may weaken wartime decision-making.

Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, a former deputy head of Ukraine’s General Staff, described Tymoshenko’s actions as a “crime of the utmost importance” during wartime. He stated that her record of obstructing government decisions related to Ukraine’s defence is concerning.

Source: Al Jazeera