(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Ukrainian parliament has expelled two ministers in the wake of criminal charges stemming from an alleged multi-million-dollar scheme to illegally acquire public land.
The ousted officials are Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi and, unrelated to the charges, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
Solskyi came under fire last month when anti-corruption prosecutors exposed his alleged role in obtaining government-owned land through falsified records and illicit payments.
The charges assert his involvement in a scheme totaling $7,331,093 (291 million hryvnias), with additional attempts to seize an extra $4,786,624 (190 million hryvnias) worth of land.
As reported by Politico, Solskyi tendered his resignation last month, which the parliament accepted on Thursday.
Kubrakov, while not implicated in the charges, was nevertheless removed from office.
“I am always ready for an open dialogue and a detailed report on the work of the Ministry in all areas of my responsibility,” Kubrakov declared in a Facebook post, according to Politico.
He further affirmed that he had not discussed his resignation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political party or Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in the same post.
Ukraine operates under a parliamentary-presidential unitary system of government, meaning that Zelenskyy’s ministers are also elected officials.
Zelenskyy’s press office did not immediately respond to Headline USA’s request for comment regarding his government’s resignations.
In March, Zelenskyy hinted at an impending government reshuffle, likely in response to concerns from world leaders increasingly wary about supporting his administration as it battles Russia.
In the U.S., several Republicans oppose funding Ukraine due to the lack of a clear winning strategy and ongoing corruption concerns.
