Stealing Popcorn: American Movie about Lazarenko and Tymoshenko

[leonidas]

Today HQ of Mr. Viktor Yanukovich's presidential campaign showed Stealing Popcorn that was originally presented in LA more than a month ago. I've not seen it yet. But it seems that the movie represents a mix of documentary and fiction. It's about corruption in Ukraine, the Lazarenko case, and Mrs. Yulia Tymoshenko who is allegedly associated with Mr. Lazarenko's embezzlement. Btw, Stealing Popcorn features a well-known Columbia University's Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy Tymothy Frye, Ukrainian-born Emeritus Professor of Economics at University of California - Berkeley, John Letiche, and UCLA's Associate Professor of Political Science Richard Anderson.

Mr. Pavel Lazarenko was Ukraine's PM between 1996 and 1997. He was accused of fraud and embezzlement of $200 million. He escaped Ukrainian justice by flying to USA where he was arrested and convicted by the American justice system. Mr Lazarenko was sentenced to nine years in federal prison. In 2004 Mr. Lazarenko posted $86 million bail to remain under house arrest at an undisclosed location in California. The Transparency International named Mr. Lazarenko the eighth most corrupt political leader in recent history.

Here is a link to a screening of Stealing Popcorn in LA, Jan 21, 2009.

Here is a link to the movie.

[stepanstas]

Seems interesting, ill check it out.

I'm sure the Yanukovich camp was watching it for educational purposes. They want to get away with the same thing.

[leonidas]

Stepanstat that was funny lol

[Ak-Murza]

Originally Posted by stepanstas

Seems interesting, ill check it out.

I'm sure the Yanukovich camp was watching it for educational purposes. They want to get away with the same thing.

so,stealing is only OK if the criminal proclames him(HER)self a pro-Western citrus revolutionary?

[stepanstas]

Originally Posted by Ak-Murza

so,stealing is only OK if the criminal proclames him(HER)self a pro-Western citrus revolutionary?

[stepanstas]

Ukraine opens criminal case over $290 mln carbon cash

*Prosecutor says former Tymoshenko govt misused funds

*Money was for sale of emission allowances to Japan, says PM

*Tymoshenko denies, dares Azarov to start legal action

(Adds details)

By Richard Balmforth

KIEV, April 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine's state prosecutor on Wednesday launched a criminal case relating to what it said was misuse by the previous Yulia Tymoshenko government of about $290 million cash received for selling carbon quotas.

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that 2.3 billion hryvnias, received in 2009 for selling carbon emission rights under the Kyoto agreement, had been misused by the former cabinet of ministers and the finance ministry.

"As a result, a criminal case for violation of budget legislation and abuse of authority was launched on April 28," a statement said. It did not mention Tymoshenko by name.

The action had caused "serious consequences for Ukraine's state interests", it said.

Earlier Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, at a cabinet meeting, accused the Tymoshenko government of massive misuse of budget funds during its time in office, including the alleged disappearance of about $378 million received for selling carbon quotas to Japan.

He suggested much of the money had gone on funding Tymoshenko's unsuccessful election campaign against President Viktor Yanukovich.

Tymoshenko, who lost to Yanukovich in a bitterly-fought run-off in February, denied Azarov's charges.

"I am even happy that today Azarov is preparing a criminal action against me. 'Come closer and then we'll see who wins'," she said.

"It is impossible to blame me for misuse of money and property back then ... It's impossible," she said in Rivne in western Ukraine.

POLITICAL TENSION

Azarov's charges and the move by the prosecutor's office added to political tension in the ex-Soviet republic following riots on Tuesday in parliament.

Smoke bombs were thrown and deputies brawled as supporters of Tymoshenko and allied groups tried to block ratification of an agreement extending the stay of the Russian navy in a Ukrainian port. Tymoshenko is now seeking public support for a day of protest on May 11 against the policies of Yanukovich.

Azarov, denouncing the 2009 budget of the Tymoshenko government as "the most shameful in Ukraine's history", said it was not known where the money from Ukraine's sale of Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) had gone.

"It's unclear where they (the previous government) spent 3.0 billion hryvnias ($378 million) in foreign ecological investments," he told a government meeting.

"This money must be renewed, included in the budget... and (we will) explain to investors why there is not a single implemented ecological and energy saving project," he said.

In 2009 Ukraine sold 30 million carbon emission rights to Japan for $375 million and said then that it hoped to earn $2 billion or more from the sale of the right-to-pollute carbon credits that it did not use.

The discrepancy in the figures is explained by differences in the exchange rate of the Ukrainian hryvnia against the dollar.

Azarov said this and other budget losses were explained by the "unlawful financing" of Tymoshenko's election campaign for president.

He said the money from the carbon emissions was only one element of money misused by the Tymoshenko government. "Overall, the actions of the preceding government caused the state to lose about 100 billion hryvnia ($12.6 billion), he said.

"At issue is money, received in payment for the Ukrainian quotas under the Kyoto protocol, part of which were transferred to the government of Japan, Azarov's spokesman Vitaly Lukyanenko said.

"Japan's government paid not only in money, but in investments with a defined purpose and 15 projects... in energy savings agreed by the governments must be implemented," he said. (Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk)