Yuriy Lutsenko

Who is Yuriy Lutsenko?

Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko is a Ukrainian politician and statesman and former Minister of Internal Affairs. He occupied this post in the two Cabinets of Yulia Tymoshenko and in Cabinets of Yuriy Yekhanurov, and Viktor Yanukovych. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is the Ukrainian police authority, and Lutsenko became the first civilian minister in February, 2005.

On 13 December 2010 Lutsenko was charged with abuse of office and forgery by Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka. On 27 February 2012 Lutsenko was sentenced to four years in jail for embezzlement and abuse of office. From then Lutsenko was held at the Lukyanivska Prison from 26 December 2010 till 7 April 2013 when he was released from prison because Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych pardoned him for health reasons. Lutsenko had lost his appeal on 3 April 2013. Both Lutsenko and his political allies regard his trial as an act of political persecution by the regime of Viktor Yanukovych. The European Union, the United States Department of State, Canada, other international organizations and human rights organizations protested against the sentence and questioned if it was a "fair, transparent and independent legal process".