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Viktor Yanukovych boasted of Ukraine corruption, says Mikheil Saakashvili | World news | theguardian.com

Ukraine's disgraced president, Viktor Yanukovych, used to boast to other heads of state about how corrupt he was, according to Georgia's former president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Yanukovych, who fled Kiev at the weekend and is believed now to be hiding in Crimea, was known for his thuggish behaviour and obsession with money. The extent of his interest in the latter was revealed over the weekend when his lavish presidential compound outside Kiev was opened to the public.

Saakashvili's comments suggest the Ukrainian leader was brazen in his abuse of office. Saakashvili was president of Georgia from 2004 until November, and met Yanukovych on numerous occasions.

He recalled one incident in particular, at the 2011 UN general assembly in New York, when he said Yanukovych bragged at length about how his corrupt government worked, in front of Saakashvili and a group of leaders from post-Soviet countries.

"He would talk very loudly about how he had corrupted senior officials, in the supreme court and the constitutional court," Saakashvili said during an interview in the Ukrainian capital, where he is meeting with opposition leaders after Yanukovych's downfall. "He didn't care who he was talking to; the guy did not have any idea about morality."

Saakashvili said Yanukovych was unique among post-Soviet leaders, even the notoriously ruthless and corrupt central Asian dictators.



It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 10:56:57 AM EST
I'm not sure the very American Mikheil Saakashvili is the most impeccable of witnesses...
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 11:39:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It takes a corrupt oligarch to know one.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 11:43:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The liar from the Ossetian War, Mikheil Saakashvili, a trusted source? I prefer the remarks made by Mikhail Gorbachev. The lad from Lvov, a hero ...

Nazi Collaboration by Banderists in East Galicia.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 11:44:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That article forgot to mention the war when recounting his career. Also forgot this:

Mikheil Saakashvili - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pressure against Saakashvili intensified in 2009, when the opposition launched mass demonstrations against Saakashvili's rule. On 5 May 2009, Georgian police said large-scale disorders were planned in Georgia of which the failed army mutiny was part. According to the police, Saakashvili's assassination had also been plotted.[24] Opposition figures dispute the claim of an attempted mutiny and instead say that troops refused an illegal order to use force against opposition demonstrators[25]

So what is he doing nowadays?

Mikheil Saakashvili - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In December 2013, he accepted the position of lecturer and senior statesman at Tufts University in the United States. [5]

US pawn calls Russian pawn greedy. Pot, meet kettle.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 11:47:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili to join Tufts University - Tufts - Your Campus - Boston.com

One month after the end his decade-long run as president of the country of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili announced he will join Tufts University.

Starting in January [2014], Saakashvili will work as a as senior statesman at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the university's gradate school of international affairs, which the Saakashvili called "one of the greatest institutions specialized in these fields in the world."

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 11:52:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Former first lady of Georgia, Sandra Roelofs, still lives and works in Georgia and most likely has the care of their two sons. Saakashvili lives in exile in the US and fears for his life. Ms. Roelofs is a noted advocate for women and girls and founded the charity foundation, SOCO which is active in advancing reproductive health and neonatal care.

Sandra Roelofs, first lady of Georgia, tells her personal story in Zeeuws Vlaanderen - [dutch]

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 03:45:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
One must feel pity for his ( American) students...They'll have a lot to learn from him ;)

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein
by vbo on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 09:03:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It was not my intention to accredit Saakashvili as an honourable source. But what he says is consistent with what is known about Yanukovych from other sources.

It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
by eurogreen on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 12:25:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What he said is consistent with what we know about Timoshenko too and her predecessor and a lot of others in power all over the world.Corruption is world wide phenomenon (it is just hidden better in west world) and there is no one who "loves money" more then Americans.
Trouble is when money starts to "evaporate" then those tugs start to fight each other. Poor people have nothing to do with that fight, they are just used and will never see money. As one criminal (now dead but at the time of wars "employed" by DB (our CIA))  famously said explaining why Balkan wars started:
"Swamp is too small and there is too many crocodiles".      
With no intention to save anyone let alone Yanukovych but it hurts my brain when they say " he enjoyed luxury while people earn 100 Euros a month". No one cares when Obama makes party and spends enormous amount of tax payers money and Americans that are lucky to still have job are working for $4/hour and have to work two jobs just to feed themselves even if they have university degrees (and loan to pay for it). Hypocrisy is nowhere worse then in western media...    

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind...Albert Einstein
by vbo on Tue Feb 25th, 2014 at 09:28:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What we call corruption they call tradition.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Feb 26th, 2014 at 01:43:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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