Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Prosecution to Probe into Honcharuk’s Handling of Coronavirus

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine (SAPO) has opened a case against Ukraine’s previous Cabinet of Ministers, formerly headed by Oleksiy Honcharuk. That’s according to the SAPO press service.

Honcharuk and his government – some of whom still hold ministerial posts – may be facing charges related to negligence in the face of the coronavirus epidemic, says SAPO. The basis for the charge, according to SAPO, are two letters, dated January 31 and February 8 that were sent to the address of then-prime minister Honcharuk from the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, warning the head of the government of the necessity of immediately limiting the export and re-export of products that could be used in anti-epidemic measures, prevention, and treatment. But the Cabinet did not, at the time, react to the letter.

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The State Bureau of Investigation, previously headed by now-Prosecutor-General Irina Venediktova, is handling the investigation.