Andrei Lubenski: Journalists demand to institute proceedings against Ukrainian Security Council’s secretary

Editorial staff of Kievski Telegraf newspaper has addressed to Ukrainian security institution’s head, Vladimir Radchenko, asking him to institute proceedings because of the publication about implication of Yevgeni Marchuk, Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council’s secretary in unlawful trade of arm. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraina agency. The question is about an article published by the Telegraf, called “If it blows up, it will really blow up! New details of arm machinations.” Journalists of this edition suppose that they possess materials testifying that Marchuk not only knew everything about the contracts of one of the companies suspected of implication in smuggling of Ukrainian arm at the beginning of the 90s, but he also expressed his agreement to its sell. In the letter, there is a request to pay special attention to “this problem’s great importance for the national security”, as well as to take into account that the high state post of Yevgeni Marchuk allows to him to put pressure “both upon the newspaper and the investigation.” A similar letter was sent to Ukrainian Public Prosecutor General Mikhail Potebenko. He also is being asked to institute proceedings against the Security Council’s secretary and to personally control it, or at least to entrust it to one of his deputies. Yevgeni Marchuk, while commenting this publication to ICTV company, characterized the accusations against him as insinuations and connected their appearance with investigation of some abuses in economy and other fields carried out by him personally. “In this case, everything is turned inside out and used to discredit myself and the Security Council’s staff, because now we have to do with structures backed by the same figures who back Kievski Telegraf.” Though, the journalists suppose that in his comments, the Security Council’s secretary accused them of bias, while leaving out the question about the truthful of information presented by them.

Andrei Lubenski PRAVDA.Ru Ukraine

Translated by Vera Solovieva Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/12/08/34656.html