It will come as no surprise to anyone that today, with the arrival of Yuriy Lutsenko to the Prosecutor General's Office (Read more: Yuriy Lutsenko. The "Terminator" of Ukrainian Politics) The ranks of prosecutors have been swelled by his people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In other words, the agency is now run by hardened corrupt officials, generals who have been stripped of their lucrative positions and hefty bribes.
One of these generals, who previously worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and now successfully found himself in “big business” among prosecutors, was Colonel General Vladimir Bedrikovsky, who received, at first glance, the rather modest position of head of the 4th department, which carries out procedural management in criminal proceedings investigated by the police department.
In fact, this boss is a very remarkable individual. Even within the department itself, they're already openly joking: they say Vitaly Yarema had a personal consigliere. Anatoly Danilenko, and now Lutsenko has Bedrikovsky.
Of course, this joke has some truth to it. People change positions, but the rules remain the same. Even at the Prosecutor General's Office, there are seemingly new faces, but the traditions, as we see, are the same. For example, what Prosecutor General would work without his own personal consigliere? Lutsenko is no exception.
As for the money-grubber Bedrikovsky, he's incredibly happy with his new status. After all, becoming Yuriy Vitalyevich's trusted confidant within the Prosecutor General's Office is a sure leap up a whole series of rungs on a long, never-ending career ladder. As is well known, no Prosecutor General's Office head will skimp on his people's finances—they'll have everything they need for bread, butter, and caviar.
However, Vladimir Bedrikovsky, who previously headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, has long been known in law enforcement circles, and not only as a close associate of Lutsenko. This is evidenced by his unexpected career ups and downs within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Strangely, all of these coincided with Yuriy Lutsenko's career moves. We see the same pattern now in his abrupt appointment to a very prestigious position within the Prosecutor General's Office.
However, the question arises: why, given his connections, didn't Bedrikovsky immediately become Deputy Prosecutor General? The answer is banally simple. The fact is that the Colonel General's past is no less illustrious than his cronyism with the powers that be. And this illustriousness clearly doesn't shine in his favor.
Clearly, in an attempt to somehow justify his own appointment to the Prosecutor General's Office at the President's behest, Yuriy Lutsenko simply didn't dare risk lobbying for his scandalous protégé a position that once belonged, for example, to the same Danilenko. After all, it's no secret that while Lutsenko was Minister of Internal Affairs, Bedrikovsky managed to become his first deputy.
At the same time, things are quite different at the Prosecutor General's Office today. It's not the time to squander deputy positions. But as the Prosecutor General decided, his confidant would be unlikely to be noticed as the head of one of the departments. That's what they decided, and that's where they left it.
But it wasn't to be. Of all people, the inveterate thief Bedrikovsky was the one the Ukrainian public really noticed. Everyone just has a good memory. Everyone remembers Lutsenko the minister and his "crime fighter" Bedrikovsky very well.
But here’s the problem: Bedrikovsky was fighting not for justice, but for his own pocket.
Time will tell how Lutsenko's personal consigliere's struggle ends today. Let's hope it doesn't end with the deputy prosecutor general's job.
Read more: Yuriy Lutsenko. The "Terminator" of Ukrainian Politics
Ruslan Yakushev
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