Yushchenko cracks down

By Aussiegirl

In a series of bold moves, the Yushchenko government lost no time in
seeking to crack down on corruption and arms dealing by the previous
administration. In an article in the
CNS News Service, Yushchenko pledged to fight corruption and to
prosecute those responsible for arms dealing. Among his moves already
is the halting of the sale of the country's largest steel plant,
Krivorozhstal, a sale which had gone to Kuchma's son-in-law at below
market rates. He pledged to stop the "theft of state property" by
selling to low bidders with influence in the government.

The article continues:

The new government has also turned its attention to concerns that Iran
and China had bought from Ukraine long-range missiles capable of
carrying nuclear warheads.
Last week Grigory Omelchenko, a politician and ally of the country's new
leadership claimed that Ukraine sold six air-to-ground cruise to Iran
and six to China in 1999-2001.
In a letter Omelchenko, who is deputy head of a parliamentary committee
on organized crime, urged the president to investigate the matter. At
least six arrests of arms dealers have been reported. The U.S. earlier
claimed that Ukraine had sold sophisticated radar equipment to Saddam
Hussein despite a U.N. arms embargo against Iraq. The government of
former President Leonid Kuchma denied the allegations.