Tymoshenko orders Portnov to not fulfill today’s decrees of President

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko has ordered acting chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Andriy Portnov to not fulfill decrees of President of April 25 concerning the State Property Fund and the Odessa Pre-Port Plant.

According to the press-service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko claimed: “The Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Okryzhny Administrative Court of Ukraine have already issued rulings on the core of these decrees”.

Yulia Tymoshenko recalled the history of the issue: the President suspended with his decrees the government’s resolutions, which removed the SPFU leadership. Victor Yushchenko also suspended the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers on terms of the auction on sale of the Odessa Pre-Port Plant.

However, on April 17, the Constitutional Court  of Ukraine issued a ruling, refusing to kick off the constitutional proceedings on the case, submitted for the Constitutional Court’s consideration by the Ukrainian President, concerning the government’s decisions on the SPFU personnel, and declared the President’s actions unconstitutional.

Yulia Tymoshenko also recalled that, in line with provisions of the Constitution, the rulings of the Constitutional Court are final, they cannot be appealed against, and their implementation is obligatory for all power agencies.

The Head of Government also informed that on April 24 the Okruzhny Administrative Court of Ukraine, basing on the ruling of the Constitutional Court, suspended another President’s decree, which reinstated V.Semeniuk-Samsonenko on post of the State Property Fund head, and declared illegal all the State Property Fund’s decisions, suspending the privatization of the Odessa Pre-Port Plant.

“Authorities of the State Property Fund head were delegated to Andriy Portnov, and he should do his best to finally stop the large-scale corruption in the Property Fund and organize carrying out a fair privatization on transparent procedures”, the Prime Minister stressed.