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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The "Carthage" case demonstrated the need for a systemic reform of the prosecutor’s office, which the authorities have used for years as an instrument of pressure against political opponents. This opinion was expressed on his Facebook by political scientist and director of the Institute of World Policy Yevhen Magda.
"The 'Carthage' case once again proved the existence of a deep crisis in the prosecutor’s office, which for many years has been used as a crude weapon to destroy the 'enemies' of the authorities. Usually it is the president’s punishing sword. Prosecutors were allowed almost anything for that. It was the Office of the Prosecutor General that acted as a torpedo in the attempt to destroy NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office last summer. Everyone remembers the notorious press conference of [then head of the Office of the Prosecutor General Ruslan] Kravchenko. Only because the street and Western partners put pressure on the authorities are the anti-corruption agencies operating today. And they are working well," he wrote.
He also accused representatives of the prosecutor’s office of putting pressure on local self-government.
"The function of prosecutors was and remains to destroy representatives of local self-government, which has been a bone in the throat of the Presidential Office for many years. Kravchenko and his first deputy Mariia Vdovychenko, who resigned following the 'boss,' and their subordinates generated criminal proceedings against political opponents for years," the expert noted. "The most telling was the pressure on Kyiv."
Magda recalled that more than 1500 criminal proceedings were initiated against the Kyiv authorities, more than 1200 searches were carried out, and more than 300 suspicions were announced.
"And the result — only four convictions. So the question of how many of the cases out of 1200 were fabricated is rhetorical. Cases fell apart even before trial or in court. The task was to enter the Kyiv City State Administration, seize documents, stop work. For that, they were allowed not to forget themselves either — to take tribute from a call center, or seize a business. The prosecutor general’s formula for success was simple: you attack NABU, SAP, Klitschko, the opposition; in return you line your pockets through sole proprietors of the 'queens' and have protection from dismissal in the Rada," he is convinced.
In the opinion of the director of the Institute of World Policy, appointing a new prosecutor general "within the existing coordinate system" will not change the situation, because the prosecutor’s system itself needs to be reformed.
"Start at least with competitive selection of institutional leaders with the involvement of independent experts. Of course, this is not a magic pill. But the experience of NABU, SAP and the new leadership of the Security Service’s Economic Protection Bureau at least demonstrates one important thing: a leader who does not owe his position exclusively to a single political center has significantly more room for independence. 'Carthage' should not become yet another political-corruption scandal. This is an important test of whether Ukraine can finally move from a state of personal appointments to a state of institutions," Yevhen Magda concluded.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item ""Прокуратура стала зброєю влади проти опонентів - НАБУ, САП і Києва". Магда закликав реформувати відомство". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.
