KYIV: A former Ukrainian state energy operator chief suspected of embezzlement was ordered to be kept in detention by a Kyiv court Wednesday, stoking fears of political interference as the country enters its fourth war winter.
The ruling comes months after President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to curb the power of anti-corruption agencies, with critics saying the government may resort to more covert means of exerting pressure on political opponents.
Volodymyr Kudrytsky, a former head of Ukraine’s state energy company Ukrenergo, who had been sacked last year, is accused of participating in embezzling 13.7 million hryvnias ($327,000) in 2018, the prosecutors said.
The Pechersk District court in Kyiv on Wednesday ruled “to apply to Volodymyr Dmytrovych Kudrytsky ... a preventive measure in the form of detention,” a judge said.
He will spend two months in pre-trail detention unless he comes up with a $300,000 bail.
Kudrytsky called the ruling “absurd and unfounded,” according to the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper.
Head of Ukraine’s parliament anti-corruption committee Anastasia Radina said on social media that “as of now, the case appears to be nothing more than pressure” against Kudrytsky.
According to Ukrainian media, Radina and a few other lawmakers said they were ready to guarantee Kudrytsky’s bail.
Kudrytsky had overseen Ukraine’s electricity grid since 2020, including in the crucial years of the Russian invasion that has put the country’s energy infrastructure under immense pressure.
But he was suddenly dismissed last year in a move denounced as politically motivated by some members of the company’s board.
This year’s Russian campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure is especially harsh, with media reporting that strikes maybe halted 60 percent of Kyiv’s natural gas production, a predominant fuel for heating in the country.
Ukraine detains ex-powergrid chief on fraud suspicion
https://arab.news/gzdz5
Ukraine detains ex-powergrid chief on fraud suspicion
- The ruling comes months after President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to curb the power of anti-corruption agencies
- Kudrytsky will spend two months in pre-trail detention unless he comes up with a $300,000 bail
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
