2015-03-28 08:59:00

Ukraine frees official detained over corruption


A senior Ukrainian official who was detained three days ago as part of a crackdown on high-level corruption will be released for lack of evidence. The decision by a court came as Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk played down reports of divisions within the government and warned that Russia was preparing to destroy Ukraine with another offensive.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

A judge in Kiev ordered the release of the head of Ukraine's state emergencies service, Serhiy Bochkovsky, saying the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence that a crime had been committed.

The ruling came as a setback for President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk who have pledged a crackdown on corruption at a time when the International Monetary Fund has agreed to extend $17.5 billion in loans to help the country overcome a major crisis. 

On Wednesday, Serhiy Bochkovsky, and his deputy were confronted with police and than led away in handcuffs during a televised cabinet meeting. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the men had stolen from "people and the state" while the country was at war.But on Saturday, Bochkovsky was expected to be home. 

His release comes amid reports of tensions within the government, especially between the president and prime minister and allegations by critics of high-level corruption. 

However in published remarks Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said the government was "fully and entirely united" and "floating in the same boat" with nobody wanting to sink. 

Such unity is crucial  at a time of ongoing battles between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in east Ukraine that has killed thousands. Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said in an interview that Russia plans to eliminate Ukraine as an independent state and could start a new offensive in the east to achieve that aim. 

Moscow has strongly denied it supports pro-Russian rebels with weapons and troops. 








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