Corruption and Intrigues
June 8-15. Golyk escapes justice, Shabunin-gate continues, assassinations, Naiem's cunning plan, people smuggling, organ smuggling, petrol smuggling
Golyk has lift-off
On June 14, it emerged that the infamous Yury Golyk has left the country on the basis of a ‘disability’. While ordinary Ukrainians drown, are shot or desperately drive through the border hidden in trucks and buses, corrupt government-connected figures leisurely evade investigation.
I recall to the reader’s attention that Golyk is the Zelensky-connected businessman implicated in high level construction corruption from 2022 onwards. He was in charge of the ‘Big Build’ infrastructure project, which was pre-war Zelensky’s main claim to glory.
It was also often called ‘the big steal’, with roads constructed for many times more than the equivalent cost in Poland, where wages are also several times higher.
Long after investigation of him for large-scale corruption began in 2022, Golyk was observed driving leisurely for top-level meetings at the president’s office.
But in late May of this year, SAPO (Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) raided the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) because it had been alerted that certain NABU officials were leaking crucial information about the case to Golyk himself, allowing him to stay out of jail. I wrote about this crucial drama here.
Shabunin’s many frontlines
Vitalii Shabunin is one of the premier ‘Sorosites’ in Ukraine. He and his comrades have publicly taken the side of SAPO against NABU. They claim that the Golyk case has shown that the NABU is near-hopelessly overrun by the Zelensky-Yermak network.
On June 10, David Sakvarelidze entered the fray. He is one of Saakashvili’s lawyers, former deputy head prosecutor of Ukraine, and currently an official at the NABU. It all started with a Shabunin post on facebook that complained about how purges at NABU have not gone far enough. Readers will recall from my article on the topic that so far, the only dismissal due to Golyk-gate has been the (Georgian) Gizo Uglava:
I will recall that Uglava can be dismissed based on the results of an official investigation. Meanwhile, we are witnessing an active campaign to save Uglava in Telegram channels. There, narratives are being pushed that this is Kubrakov's revenge, Sakvarelidze is shouting about "lies and slander," and "political scientists for 100 bucks" are trying to convince us that "it's not all so clear-cut," etc.
Sakvarelidze replied with the following screed. For context, the ‘Georgian invasion’ of Ukraine’s government, led by the irrepressible (or not) Mikhail Saakashvili, began in 2015:
I wasn't planning to mention your last name, but since it's come to this, I'll ask: what are you dissatisfied with? Because of your personal vendetta/dislike Vitaly, should a man who has nothing to do with it be forced to smear his face with shit? Or perhaps I need to check with you on what and where to say things and what opinion to have about a person I’ve known for 20 years? It's clear that you have your own personal and long-standing stance towards us, Georgians, starting initially from 2015. But personal hatred should not be mixed with professional conduct. It’s petty and juvenile.
Shabunin isn’t only fighting against the Georgian fifth column. I’ve written here and here at length about the President’s Office war on Shabunin. They have tried to bring him down with various proof that he has evaded mobilization. Recently, a case has also been brought against him that he has been driving around Ukraine on a splendid big car that was donated for frontline purposes.
I must say I do find some satisfaction in watching it unfold - Shabunin, the liberal ultramilitarist who constantly shames working class Ukrainians for ‘draft-dodging’, may himself be ruined on the basis of his (doubtlessly real) draft-dodging. Sadly, of course, those bringing the accusations are just as guilty. Nor is it possible to be excited about the fact that the only real political sin is not signing up for war.
In any case, on June 14, chief of the general staff Anatoly Bargilevich demanded criminal responsibility for the military unit which gave Shabunin fake military documents. The past months have seen a vigorous purge of the army, replacing key figures with those subservient to Zelensky (read: Yermak). Syrsky is only the most visible such example.
Shabunin isn’t alone. On June 12, strana reported that Egor Sobolev, a rather scandalous maidanite-anticommunist-anticorruption warrior, is being investigated by for desertion and embezzlement of military income he received while not actually in the army.
On that topic, on June 12 the most recently appointed speaker for the AFU’s southern region announced his resignation. This post sees a particularly high turnover. I will update the readers if any titillating new details about this emerge.
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