Viktor Yushchenko (center) will stand by his children (left - his son Andrey, right - daughter Vitalina) if necessary.
Photo: www.yuschenko.com.ua
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Yushenko's Son Lives Above the Means
Yesterday evening in a press-conference in Kiev, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushenko had to answer the unpleasant journalists' questions of why his 19-year-old son Andrey has a car that cost more than 130,000 Euros as well as other pretty expensive things. The president called journalists, who published this information, "killers" and ask them "to never touch his children."
Andrey Yushenko became a hero of several publications in the Ukrainian media last week. There was information that appeared on Internet that Yushenko’s son drives a BMW M6 with a base price of more than 130,000 Euro. He goes to expensive restaurants where he buys champagne for $1,000 per bottle and uses the expensive and rare model of mobile phone Vertu.
Yushenko’s son was the first to react to the accusations. "The car that I was driving belongs to my friend and I can't say his name for ethical reasons. I don't have an auto park and use a car that belongs to my mother,” he told journalists. However, these explanations created even more questions. On the photo where Yushenko gets behind the steering wheel of the M6 one can see that the car has Czech license plates. Ukrainian law prohibits citizens to drive an automobile that is not locally registered.
The fact that president Yushenko's family members spend large amounts is not a fault itself. The president’s spouse was an entrepreneur in the past and always openly declared her income from stock dividends and bank deposits. During the presidential election campaign in 2004, Viktor Yushenko had to provide the documents verifying his family income. According to this documents, he earned in 2004 almost $7,000 and his wife -$90,000. Their total net worth including stocks and bank accounts is more than $630,000.Thus, the president could allow himself to buy an expensive car for his older son.
However, Yushenko decided to answer the allegation personally and bring his words to media. During the press conference, a correspondent of Internet publication "Ukrainian Pravda", which was the catalyst of the scandal, asked the president to make comments about the car story. The president answer was crude. He called the author of the article a "killer" and added that he new about coming provocations against his family. "Three guys with SBU (Ukrainian Security Service- Kommersant) backgrounds made an agreement to strike my people until the sawdust will come out. And today, the journalists, who only care about the smell of the money, decided to join them," Yushenko said. He did not précise if three mentioned "guys" are active or former Security Service agents. President also added that the information about the possible provocations did not come to him from SBU.
Yushenko suddenly denied his son's words about the "friend's car." He said that Andrey Yushenko is renting the car, but did not precise if he is talking about the BMW M6. "My son has his own business; he also has a job with a consulting company and some other jobs. It is not big money, but it's enough to rent a car and services of private security service," president explained. However, the mentioning of a mysterious rich friend still resurfaced during press-conferences. The Ukrainian president explained that was the friend who gave his son the expensive mobile phone Vertu as a gift. "The telephone was given to my son as a gift by the friend that you know. However, I am not going to use his name. This person is famous, young and successful. Thankfully or regretfully, my son and this person are friends," president said and then added that he will suggest his son to get rid of the phone.
The president called information that Andrey Yushenko was paying for restaurant supper with $100-bills and was breaking traffic rules a lie. "The people who know my son can confirm that the boy has good manners, he is very moral and deeply religious, "Yushenko stated.
A little bit later, the president's press-secretary Irina Gerashenko sent a letter from Viktor Yushenko to "Ukrainian Pravda," where the president said that he had a "man's conversation" with his son, and officially demanded from police to prosecute all people who break traffic rules "regardless of what cars they drive." "Everyone should obey the same rules- politicians and their children," the president noted. On its turn, "Ukrainian Pravda" distributed an open letter where the publications' employees demanded from the president official apologies for his words during the press conference. Yesterday, more than 50 Ukrainian journalists signed this letter.
Sergey Sidorenko, Kiev.
All the Article in Russian as of July 27, 2005
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