A Ukrainian diplomat was sent back home from South Africa after the country’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation sent a note to the Embassy of Ukraine in Pretoria demanding that Mr. Valery
Ohorodnyk, first secretary and the head of consular section, be expelled for his activities incompatible with diplomatic status.
South African special services discovered that Ohorodnyk has direct connections with organized crime groups in Nigeria and Ukraine. He was involved in illicit drugs and human trafficking. Particularly, he used his official position to forge documents and take bribes. His main source of income was the organization of sending drug dealers and prostitutes to the countries of the former Soviet Union through Ukraine.
It was also revealed that the Ukrainian diplomat is responsible for a number of traffic accidents due to drunk driving. Enjoying diplomatic immunity, Ohorodnyk could not be prosecuted by the criminal authorities of South Africa; that is why the government demanded his immediate expulsion.
This case clearly indicates a human resource crisis Ukrainian government agencies are now faced with. Last year’s coup d’├®tat followed by the policy of “lustration” persistently pursued by the new Kiev’s regime left the ministries short of experienced professionals. The main condition for employment at the diplomatic service of Ukraine today is commitment to nationalist ideals rather than professional capacities or personal qualities. The corruption that has descended upon Ukraine is legendary and the gullible dupes who participated in the orchestrated Maiden protests will rue it for the rest of their lives. The corruption even makes the former regime look honest. The billionaire oligarch that Washington has installed in Kiev as President of Ukraine is quickly driving ordinary Ukrainians in to abject destitution.
There was never any truth on the IMF “rescue packages.” What the IMF has done is to substitute Ukrainian indebtedness to the IMF for Ukrainian indebtedness to Western banks. The IMF has handed over the money to the Western banks, and the Western banks will reduce Ukraine’s indebtedness by the amount of IMF money.
Instead of being indebted to the banks, Ukraine will now be indebted to the IMF. Ukraine will never see a dollar of the IMF money.
The IMF loan brought new conditions and imposed austerity on the Ukrainian people so that the Ukraine government can gather up the money with which to repay the IMF. The IMF conditions that have been imposed on the struggling Ukraine population have led to severe reduction in old-age pensions, social services, employment and subsidies for basic consumer purchases such as natural gas. Already low living standards have plummeted. In addition, Ukrainian public assets and Ukrainian owned private industries are being sold off to Western purchasers. The sincere idealistic protesters who took to the streets without being paid were the gullible dupes of the plot to destroy their country.
Paul Craig Roberts is former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal.
