Yuriy Lutsenko
Encyclopedia
Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko ' onMouseout='HidePop("65911")' href="/topics/Rivne">Rivne
) is a Ukrainian
politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs
, he occupied this post in the two Cabinets
of Yulia Tymoshenko
and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov
, and Viktor Yanukovych
. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is the Ukrainian police
authority, and Lutsenko became the first civilian minister in February, 2005.
On December 13, 2010 Lutsenko was charged with abuse of office and forgery by Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Viktor Pshonka
., arrested, and is now tried by the court, while held at the Lukyanivska Prison
since December 26, 2010.. Both Lutsenko and his political allies regard this is as an act of political persecution and revenge by the regime of Victor Yanukovych.
and 1998
, secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine
, mother is Vira Mikhailivna (1936) – veterinary
doctor.
Yuriy Lutsenko received his degree in Engineering in 1989 from Lviv Polytechnical Institute
.
of 2000. He was also one of the "faces of Orange revolution
". Lutsenko was a long-term member (since 1991) of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
(SPU), prior to his appointment to the executive branch he was people’s deputy in the Verkhovna Rada
(parliament) since February 2002. Lutsenko belonged to so-called "right wing" of SPU which takes a pro-European position akin to social democratic parties in the rest of Europe, rather than a post-Soviet conservative socialism.
As a Minister, Lutsenko refused to run in the 2006 parliamentary election
on his party list. However, he has been running for both the Kiev City Council and Rivne Oblast Council simultaneously in the lists of Socialist Party - "to make the point", as he explained. Having won these seats, Lutsenko resigned from both in favor of his Minister's position as the Constitution of Ukraine
prohibits occupying the positions in the legislative and executive branches of the government at the same time.
's entering into a Parliamentary coalition with the Communist Party of Ukraine
and the Party of Regions
of the previous PM Yanukovych. When the Parliamentary coalition of the Party of Regions
, the Communists
and the defected Socialists
began to take shape, Lutsenko stated flatly that he refused to continue serving as the minister in a future government formed by these parties. However, after President Viktor Yushchenko
agreed to allow the forming of the cabinet in exchange for several political concessions including the ability to pick the Minister of Interior, Lutsenko stated that the president asked him personally to remain as the minister, and he would do so.
Lutsenko was formally dismissed by the Verkhovna Rada
on December 1, 2006. Lutsenko then (December 2006) created Civil Movement "People's Self-Defense".
December 18, 2007 Lutsenko again became minister of Internal Affairs, when Yulia Tymoshenko
was again elected Prime Minister of Ukraine
.
. According to German newspaper Bild Lutsenko was detained at Frankfurt Airport
by the German police in a state of acute alcohol intoxication. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry dismissed these allegations, according to the information of the Ministry, on May 4, 2009 the Interior Ministry's delegation was detained at the Frankfurt airport during document checks and missed the flight, with the plane crew refused to take them on board. The delegation decided to catch the next flight. "There were no handcuffs, no drunken conflict" the department said. On May 12, 2009 Yuri Lutsenko sent in his resignation from the post of Interior Minister. In his letter of resignation
the Minister described the incident that happened in Frankfurt
, and stressed that the German police had officially apologized to the Ukrainian delegation for this incident but that despite this German mass media disseminated false publications, which were later re-published by Ukrainian media but that none of these publications mentioned the apologizes of the German police. Lutsenko was confident that a dirty campaign was waged against him in Ukraine. The aim of the campaign, according to him, is to destabilize the work of the Interior Ministry.
The Ukrainian Parliament has to agree with the resignation of a Minister before the Minister can leave her/his post. On May 15, 2009 it passed a resolution, stipulating to address the government with a request to suspend Yuri Lutsenko from post of the Interior Minister of Ukraine until the “drunken incident” is investigated.
From May 12, 2009 till May 14, 2009 and again on May 15, 2009 faction members of the oppositional
Party of Regions
blocked the Ukrainian parliament’s rostrum and presidium demanding the resignation of Lutsenko they placed (in the session hall) posters with inscriptions: “A Drunkard Minister is a shame for Ukraine”, “Drunk policeman is a criminal” and “Drunk Minister –a politician?”.
Later that 12 May 2009 Lutsenko claimed he will sue Bild. According to Lutsenko, the publication does not contain “any true things, any references to documents or real officials”.
President
Viktor Yushchenko
considered his appeal for resignation “a logical step, which should be made ... There was an incident which damaged the reputation of the state, the government and the minister himself. It must be settled with due regard for the interests of the nation and the country”. Prime Minister
Yulia Tymoshenko
believes that the information about the incident is doubtful. "I may state that the son of the Interior Minister is a child ill with cancer; he underwent a very serious operation. This child is taking special medicines that are incompatible with alcohol drinking. Besides, no tests were made. I’m confident that this child had nothing in common at all with alcohol. And this untruth, which was publicized many times, casts doubt upon the whole information”. The Party of Regions faction insists on accepting the resignation of Lutsenko without getting any proofs of the incident at Frankfurt airport. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction will not support the resignation of the Interior Minister without any proofs of the incident. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked Germany
for official information about the incident, but got no response.
Lutsenko eventually lost his post as Minister of Internal Affairs.
In 2010 Lutsenko became the leader of the party People's Self-Defense Political Party.
On December 13, 2010 Lutsenko was charged with abuse of office and forgery by Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Viktor Pshonka
. On November 5 it was already announcement that Lutsenko faced criminal charges for an alleged financial crime involving a less than $5,000 overpayment to his driver. According to Lutsenko the criminal case against him is political persecution. Pshonka has denied this. Lutsenko has been jailed since December 26, 2010 in Kiev
's Lukyanivka Prison. Lutsenko was arrested near his home on December 26; on December 27 a court ordered his arrest on the grounds that he had been dodging questioning in violation of his written pledge not to leave Kiev
. Three criminal cases opened against him where merged into one on January 27, 2011. Lutsenko went on a hunger strike
from April 22 till May 24, 2011 in protest against his "preventive punishment".
Rivne
Rivne or Rovno is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion within the oblast...
) is a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine is the main body in the system of central bodies of exeecutive power that provides formation and realization of the state policy in the sphere of protection the rights and liberties of citizens, unlawful acts against the interest of society and state,...
, he occupied this post in the two Cabinets
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
of Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov
Yuriy Yekhanurov
Yuriy Ivanovych Yekhanurov is a Ukrainian politician who was Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2005 to 2006 and Minister of Defense in from 2007 to 2009...
, and Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is the Ukrainian police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
authority, and Lutsenko became the first civilian minister in February, 2005.
On December 13, 2010 Lutsenko was charged with abuse of office and forgery by Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Prosecutor General of Ukraine
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
Viktor Pshonka
Viktor Pshonka
Viktor Pavlovych Pshonka is the current Prosecutor General of Ukraine since November 4, 2010. From November 2003 till December 2004 and again since 2006 he had been a Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
., arrested, and is now tried by the court, while held at the Lukyanivska Prison
Lukyanivska Prison
Lukyanivska Prison , officially SIZO#13, is a famous historical prison in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, located in the central Lukyanivka neighborhood of the city. Though the facility is now functioning as a pre-conviction detention center it is still colloquially called a "prison"...
since December 26, 2010.. Both Lutsenko and his political allies regard this is as an act of political persecution and revenge by the regime of Victor Yanukovych.
Early life
Yuriy's father is Vitaliy Ivanovych Lutsenko (March 15, 1937-June 4, 1999) - elected as people deputy of Ukraine in 1994Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1994
The first parliamentary election in independent Ukraine took place in 1994. The elections were conducted for the second convocation of the Parliament regarding the previous one as temporary and transitional....
and 1998
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1998
The second Ukrainian parliamentary election after the collapse of the Soviet Union took place on 29 March 1998. In comparison to the first parliamentary election, this time half of 450 parliament seats were filled by single-seat majority winners in 225 electoral regions , and the other half were...
, secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
, mother is Vira Mikhailivna (1936) – veterinary
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
doctor.
Yuriy Lutsenko received his degree in Engineering in 1989 from Lviv Polytechnical Institute
Lviv Polytechnic
Lviv Polytechnic National University is the largest scientific university in Lviv. Since its foundation in 1844, it was one of the most important centres of science and technological development in Central Europe. In the interbellum period, the Polytechnic was one of the most important technical...
.
Political biography
Yuriy Lutsenko gained public fame as one of the leaders of the Ukraine without Kuchma! campaign, which followed the Cassette ScandalCassette Scandal
The Cassette Scandal , also known as "Tapegate" and "Kuchmagate", erupting in 2000, was one of the main political events in Ukraine's post-independence history...
of 2000. He was also one of the "faces of Orange revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
". Lutsenko was a long-term member (since 1991) of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
(SPU), prior to his appointment to the executive branch he was people’s deputy in the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(parliament) since February 2002. Lutsenko belonged to so-called "right wing" of SPU which takes a pro-European position akin to social democratic parties in the rest of Europe, rather than a post-Soviet conservative socialism.
As a Minister, Lutsenko refused to run in the 2006 parliamentary election
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2006
The Ukrainian parliamentary election took place on March 26, 2006. Election campaigning officially began on July 7, 2005. Between November 26 and December 31, 2005 party lists of candidates were formed....
on his party list. However, he has been running for both the Kiev City Council and Rivne Oblast Council simultaneously in the lists of Socialist Party - "to make the point", as he explained. Having won these seats, Lutsenko resigned from both in favor of his Minister's position as the Constitution of Ukraine
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
prohibits occupying the positions in the legislative and executive branches of the government at the same time.
Resignation from the Socialist Party
After his appointment as a minister he suspended the membership of the SPU in the summer of 2006 as a result of the party leader Oleksandr MorozOleksandr Moroz
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Moroz is a Ukrainian statesman and politician. He was the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine twice: July 2006 to September 2007, and previously in 1994 through 1998. Moroz is one of the founders and leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, which was an influential...
's entering into a Parliamentary coalition with the Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
and the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
of the previous PM Yanukovych. When the Parliamentary coalition of the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
, the Communists
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
and the defected Socialists
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
began to take shape, Lutsenko stated flatly that he refused to continue serving as the minister in a future government formed by these parties. However, after President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
agreed to allow the forming of the cabinet in exchange for several political concessions including the ability to pick the Minister of Interior, Lutsenko stated that the president asked him personally to remain as the minister, and he would do so.
Lutsenko was formally dismissed by the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
on December 1, 2006. Lutsenko then (December 2006) created Civil Movement "People's Self-Defense".
December 18, 2007 Lutsenko again became minister of Internal Affairs, when Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
was again elected Prime Minister of Ukraine
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
.
Incident at Frankfurt Airport
Early May 2009 Lutsenko became entangled in a scandal concerning his behaviour during a visit to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. According to German newspaper Bild Lutsenko was detained at Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport may refer to:Airports of Frankfurt, Germany:*Frankfurt Airport , the largest airport in Germany*Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, a general aviation airport*Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , a converted U.S...
by the German police in a state of acute alcohol intoxication. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry dismissed these allegations, according to the information of the Ministry, on May 4, 2009 the Interior Ministry's delegation was detained at the Frankfurt airport during document checks and missed the flight, with the plane crew refused to take them on board. The delegation decided to catch the next flight. "There were no handcuffs, no drunken conflict" the department said. On May 12, 2009 Yuri Lutsenko sent in his resignation from the post of Interior Minister. In his letter of resignation
Letter of resignation
A letter of resignation is written to announce the author's intent to leave a position currently held, such as an office, employment or commission....
the Minister described the incident that happened in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, and stressed that the German police had officially apologized to the Ukrainian delegation for this incident but that despite this German mass media disseminated false publications, which were later re-published by Ukrainian media but that none of these publications mentioned the apologizes of the German police. Lutsenko was confident that a dirty campaign was waged against him in Ukraine. The aim of the campaign, according to him, is to destabilize the work of the Interior Ministry.
The Ukrainian Parliament has to agree with the resignation of a Minister before the Minister can leave her/his post. On May 15, 2009 it passed a resolution, stipulating to address the government with a request to suspend Yuri Lutsenko from post of the Interior Minister of Ukraine until the “drunken incident” is investigated.
From May 12, 2009 till May 14, 2009 and again on May 15, 2009 faction members of the oppositional
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
blocked the Ukrainian parliament’s rostrum and presidium demanding the resignation of Lutsenko they placed (in the session hall) posters with inscriptions: “A Drunkard Minister is a shame for Ukraine”, “Drunk policeman is a criminal” and “Drunk Minister –a politician?”.
Later that 12 May 2009 Lutsenko claimed he will sue Bild. According to Lutsenko, the publication does not contain “any true things, any references to documents or real officials”.
President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
considered his appeal for resignation “a logical step, which should be made ... There was an incident which damaged the reputation of the state, the government and the minister himself. It must be settled with due regard for the interests of the nation and the country”. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
believes that the information about the incident is doubtful. "I may state that the son of the Interior Minister is a child ill with cancer; he underwent a very serious operation. This child is taking special medicines that are incompatible with alcohol drinking. Besides, no tests were made. I’m confident that this child had nothing in common at all with alcohol. And this untruth, which was publicized many times, casts doubt upon the whole information”. The Party of Regions faction insists on accepting the resignation of Lutsenko without getting any proofs of the incident at Frankfurt airport. The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction will not support the resignation of the Interior Minister without any proofs of the incident. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for official information about the incident, but got no response.
Loss of Ministry and charged with abuse of office and forgery
After the fall of the second Tymoshenko GovernmentSecond Tymoshenko Government
The second Tymoshenko Government was appointed on December 18, 2007 as a coalition between Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc , OU-PSD is the party of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election...
Lutsenko eventually lost his post as Minister of Internal Affairs.
In 2010 Lutsenko became the leader of the party People's Self-Defense Political Party.
On December 13, 2010 Lutsenko was charged with abuse of office and forgery by Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Prosecutor General of Ukraine
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
Viktor Pshonka
Viktor Pshonka
Viktor Pavlovych Pshonka is the current Prosecutor General of Ukraine since November 4, 2010. From November 2003 till December 2004 and again since 2006 he had been a Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
. On November 5 it was already announcement that Lutsenko faced criminal charges for an alleged financial crime involving a less than $5,000 overpayment to his driver. According to Lutsenko the criminal case against him is political persecution. Pshonka has denied this. Lutsenko has been jailed since December 26, 2010 in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
's Lukyanivka Prison. Lutsenko was arrested near his home on December 26; on December 27 a court ordered his arrest on the grounds that he had been dodging questioning in violation of his written pledge not to leave Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. Three criminal cases opened against him where merged into one on January 27, 2011. Lutsenko went on a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
from April 22 till May 24, 2011 in protest against his "preventive punishment".
External links
Lutsenko: There Are Several Criminal Cases on Companies Linked to Akhmetov... (June 2005 interview)- People's Self-Defense Official website of Lutsenko's party