Addressing journalists on March 24, Chairman of the board of directors of the Naftohaz Ukrayiny National Joint Stock Company, Ihor Bakai, announced his irreversible resignation.
The function to which the press was invited was named somewhat unusually: “The report of chairman of the board of directors of the Naftohaz Ukrayiny Company to the Ukrainian people.” And the first thing the journalists noted was the accusation of extremely inefficient conduct of natural gas transactions, which Deputy Premier Yuliya Tymoshenko had leveled against Naftohaz the day before. According to Ms. Tymoshenko, she advanced her “cadre proposals” as early as in the first days of work in office, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
However, this time the roots of the cadre intrigue were growing at an even higher level. Mr. Bakai produced arguments and figures which expose incorrect government approaches to oil and natural gas problems, and in turn accused the Cabinet of inefficiency and failure to understand the essence of such problems. But he gave entirely different reasons for his resignation: “I do not want my name to be the object of blackmail by high officials.” And, after persistent questions about where the blackmail is coming from, he explained: “From the West.”
Mr. Bakai also specified that neither Viktor Yushchenko nor anybody else in the government had been informed of his resignation beforehand. Does this mean the only person who knew was the President who in fact appointed Mr. Bakai president of Naftohaz?
A colleague of mine from a foreign news agency reminded The Day that Leonid Kuchma was asked at a press conference about $6 million in real estate Mr. Bakai allegedly owns in the US. This helped me put together a version that might go like this: when discussing the question of extending new credits to Ukraine and alleged misuse of the old ones, creditors reproached our President that Ukraine’s money is in fact being used for various “country retreats,” while this country always clamors for foreign aid. The President seems to have given Mr. Bakai some good advice.
Mr. Bakai has left his post, bearing a grudge against the West. But he hinted he might soon emerge in Parliament. And then there will be yet one more passionate defender of parliamentary immunity.
