Open letter to President, MPs and government members

Mr. President of Ukraine!

Members of the Parliament of Ukraine!

Members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine!

September 17, 2015, I was appointed as the representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Board for selection of members of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption on the basis of Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 708-VIII. I was expelled from the Board membership by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 951-r of September 21, 2015.

October 15, 2015, I was awarded the Order “For Merits” of the third degree in honor of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Kyiv Mohyla Academy on the basis of the Presidential Decree No. 586/2015.

June 2, 2016, in violation of the Constitution of Ukraine and the Rules, the constitutional majority of the membership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the Law of Ukraine “On the Judicial System and Status of Judges” and the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (Related to Judiciary)” thus demonstrating the arbitrariness and disregard for fair comments and suggestions of individual MPs and parliamentary factions and the constitutional principle of the rule of law.

I believe that the state power was usurped by certain political and oligarchic groups, as it may seem according to democratic procedures, in this difficult time of undeclared war of the Russian Federation against my country and people. It is hard for me to predict the negative effects of this decision.

As a member of the Ukrainian legal community and as a law professor and a tutor of law students having more than 40 years of professional experience in the field of law and 54 years of employee tenure, being awarded the order “For honor and professional dignity” by the Association of lawyers of Ukraine, I cannot calmly and indifferently observe what is happening in the state and remain a silent observer of these processes. Unfortunately, my abilities to effectively resist such a tyranny are very limited.

Based on the foregoing and in protest against such activity of the President and the majority of MPs of Ukraine, I declare that:

First, I renounce the state award – the Order “For Merits” of the third degree, which I was awarded on October 15, 2015. Second, I refuse to represent in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Board for selection of members of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption since I do not believe the highest representative body of the people of Ukraine any more.

I ask the Presidential Administration to accept from me the mentioned state award and certificate to it, and I ask the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to approve my expelling from the Board starting from June 3, 2016.

(Tomorrow, June 3, I will pass the state award to the presidential Administration togrther with the written text of this statement, the copies of which will be also submitted to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine)

Afterword:

First, I publicly appeal to esteemed Vyacheslav Stepanovych Briukhovetsky and the staff of the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” with the request to be receptive to my deed and excuse me if it offends you, because it was you, Vyacheslav Stepanovych, who conferred the state award on me at a meeting of the Academic Council.

Second, I appeal also to the anti-corruption public representatives, the members of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Fight against Corruption and those 227 MPs, who voted for my candidacy for a member of the Selection Board, with the request to be receptive to my deed and not to condemn me.

I understand that some of my friends, acquaintances and people, who do not know me personally, will react to this statement and my act differently. I do not exclude that anyone will view it as a kind of PR campaign.

It is your right!

Let me just say that everything has already happened in all my life and I need nothing except for health according to my age. I would like only to wait for the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in my claim against Ukraine, which has been in Strasbourg for 8 years already…

I am 71 years old, I have 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, my students still listen to me, and I think that nobody whisper in my back “old man, go and sit at home, watch TV and look after your grandchildren and great grandchildren…” Once I hear such words or see skeptical views, I will immediately go at home to write my memoirs… In addition, it happened so that I became a sort of a public figure and I do not deny that with this act I would like to draw the attention of Ukrainian legal community to the ability to bear personal moral and professional responsibility for compliance with life principles.

I wish everybody Faith, Hope, Love and Good Luck!

Good luck to us and our Ukraine!

With kind regards to you all!