Іvano-Frankivsk oblast organization of Our Ukraine party is one of the biggest debtors who do not pay the salaries in Prykarpattya. Currently the debt makes up 576 000 UAH and the employees of Our Ukraine party face this situation for the third year already. Despite the appeal of Viktor Yushchenko to the heads of oblast organizations to pay all the salaries to the employees of their executive committees the then Head of Our Ukraine party Zinovii Shkutiak has not yet repaid the debt.
On 23 July, during the board meeting of Oblast State Administration, the existence of the debt was confirmed by Vasyl Popovych - the Deputy Head of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast State Administration and the Head of Economic Department. Earlier Yaroslava Ulvanska, the head of the Labor Department of Oblast State Administration, informed that the local brunch of Our Ukraine party stopped its activity just because of the debt. Few employees of the party’s oblast executive committee filed the application to the court in 2011 to force its Head Zinovii Shkutiak to repay the debt. “I didn’t plan to settle this case in court, because Viktor Yushchenko promised that they will repay the debt. When I reminded Zinovii Shkutiak of these words, he told me that for us he had no money at that time and would not have it in future.” - recollects Mariia Buskaniuk, who worked as a Head of the executive committee of Our Ukraine city office.
The court decision in favor of the plaintiff was ignored by the People’s Deputy. City Department of Justice started the procedure of inventory and confiscation of the property in the office of Our Ukraine. Money derived from the sales of this property was to be used for the debt repay. However, in the response to cross-application of Zinovii Shkutiak, City Court stopped the forced levy. Mariia Buskaniuk lodged an appeal and as a result the office property was finally sold. “They returned me 3400 UAH out of 11400 UAH of the debt. But I received compensation after winning the trial.” – commented Mariia Buskaniuk in her conversation with the press service of OPORA in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Thus, the main debt of Zinovii Shkutiak was not repaid.
Today the People’s Deputy Zinovii Shkutiak still hopes to get to the Parliament again. On July 17 oblast organizations of Our Ukraine Party, Ukrainian People’s Party and Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists united into a single centre-right political power. This new organization “follows the center-right ideology and supports the principles of consolidation of Ukrainian language and culture, preservation and strengthening of the Ukrainian spirit.” In Prykarpattya this Union was already called “the Mayor trio” because Zinovii Shkutiak and Bohdan Borovych, the Head of oblast organization of the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, are the former Mayors of Ivano-Frankivsk. And the Head of the oblast organization of Ukrainian People’s Party – Viktor Anushkevychus still governs the city. We do not know yet who exactly will take part in the Parliamentary elections.
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