Yushchenko tells secret service to get out of business
President Viktor Yushchenko, introducing Ukraine’s new security chief, told the discredited State Security Service today that it should get out of politics and commerce and concentrate on fighting corruption and winning the people’s trust.
“With a joint effort from the president and the security service, we will make this country honest,” Yushchenko told security officials.
He named Oleksandr Turchynov, an ally of new Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, to head the organisation. The appointment immediately sparked speculation that Turchynov, a civilian without any law enforcement experience, was sent in to dismantle the agency.
The security service had been considered one of Ukraine’s most corrupt agencies, with officers accused of working for the business elite and allegedly involved in illegal weapons sales.
The agency was also accused of playing a key role in Yushchenko’s near-fatal poisoning last year during the election campaign. Yushchenko has said he most likely received the dioxin poisoning at a dinner with the agency’s former top two leaders; both denied any involvement.
