20 October 2009, 14:30
Mykola Tomenko: Liquidation of Immunity, as it is, means Fighting against irresponsibility of everyone: from the President to the Judges
"It is the beginning of the great deed making order in the country", - M. Tomenko, the Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the decision to directed the bill on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (re the guarantees of immunity for separate high-ranking officials) to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
"Today it is obvious that we should do it and the fact that we are ready to uphold such bills testifies that it has gone too far and there is not time to delay."
He explained that "Presidents immunity now is his political Achilles' heel. He starts and finishes with it. No one of the Presidents accused Deputies so severely as Viktor Yushchenko. It seems to me that the border is crossed now. When the President declares that the killers and rapists were sitting in the session hall, he consequently also must be responsible for his words."
At the same time, the Vice-Chairman positively evaluates the fact that presidential campaign is being held in Ukraine. "It is good we are not aware of the fact who would be the next President and we would prepare a good basis for his work in order the next Head of the State when traveling round the world does not humiliate his country and deputies as the Verkhovna Rada institution is also the institutions that represents Ukraine", - he proclaimed.
"Besides there would be no need to announce "constant absentees" as after the immunity is canceled there would be no need for the representatives of the big business to go to the Parliament as all the big businessman would be occupied with the plants and probably would not buy the Deputies mandate", - M. Tomenko declared.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolved to direct the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (re the Guarantee of Immunity for certain Officials) to the Constitutional Court by 390 Deputies, in particular 171 Party of Regions, 150 Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, 19 Our Ukraine-Self Defence, 27 Communist Party of Ukraine, 19 Lytvyn Bloc, 4-out of Factions.