Ukraine leader refuses to fire prosecutor after activist acid attack death
KIEV: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday refused to accept the resignation of his top prosecutor over the death of an anti-corruption campaigner following a horrific acid attack, his office said.
The announcement came just hours after a top EU official urged Ukrainian authorities to identify and punish those responsible for the high-profile crime.
Kateryna Gandzyuk, who worked as an adviser to the mayor of the southern city of Kherson, was attacked in July and had about a litre of acid poured on her.
The 33-year-old died on Sunday after months of treatment including more than ten surgeries, sparking fresh condemnation of the government.
Civil society activists accuse the authorities of failing to complete the investigation or find out who ordered the attack.
General Attorney Yuriy Lutsenko this week submitted a letter of resignation to Poroshenko over the affair.
A representative of Poroshenko’s office said he had rejected Lutsenko’s resignation, noting that lawmakers failed to approve his dismissal in a test vote in parliament this week.
“He is facing important tasks,” the representative told AFP in written comments on Friday.
The growing controversy poses a new embarrassment for the proWestern leader who is expected to run for re-election next year.
Just a few hours earlier EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said during a visit to Kiev that the international community was “deeply shocked” by the tragedy.
“It’s something we cannot accept,” he told a news conference, urging the Ukrainian government to identify and punish those who have ordered the attack. — AFP