Mayor and Council Secretary Ousted
During its 90th session, the Lutsk City Council voted to terminate the authority of Mayor Ihor Polishchuk and Council Secretary Yuriy Bezpyatka ahead of schedule. The motion to dismiss Polishchuk received 38 votes in favor, while 36 council members voted to remove Bezpyatka. Draft resolutions for these changes were posted on the Lutsk City Council's official website on March 23.
This action follows searches conducted by detectives from Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at the Lutsk City Council on December 19. The deputy head of the council's information department, Oleksandr Olyshevskyi, confirmed the raids had taken place.
In his comments, Ihor Polishchuk stated that his resignation was 'absolutely not connected to NABU or to any audit.'
The removal of Ihor Polishchuk and Yuriy Bezpyatka signals a potential shift in Lutsk's political landscape, particularly against the backdrop of ongoing NABU investigations. While Polishchuk insists there is no link between his ouster and anti-corruption measures, the timing is likely to raise questions among the public and political observers. NABU is Ukraine's primary agency for investigating high-level corruption.
Potential Consequences
The subsequent developments within the city council could impact the stability of local governance and the public's trust in newly appointed officials.