21 October 2008, 12:02
Head of Rada's commission on weapon shipments to Georgia asks for protection
Valery Konovalyuk, head of the temporary investigatory commission of the Supreme Rada, set up to inquire into the facts of deliveries of Ukrainian armaments to Georgia, has stated the danger, to which he is exposed in connection with the work of the commission.
We remind you that earlier, the temporary investigatory commission of the Ukrainian Parliament, headed by Valery Konovalyuk, had stated deliveries of Ukrainian weapons to Georgia on the eve of warfare in South Ossetia.
"I was already forced to take precautions and moved my family into a safe place," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Mr Konovalyuk as saying.
According to his story, he has addressed the Safety Service of Ukraine (SSU) for providing security and ensuring his safety. Valery Konovalyuk does not exclude that the pressure on him is related to the travel session of the commission pre-planned for October 27 in Georgia and South Ossetia to investigate the facts of violations when trading in arms, reports the UNIAN Ukrainian Agency.
Besides, the People's Deputy has invited, with the help of the media, General Public Prosecutor Alexander Medvedko to attend the session of the temporary parliamentary commission.
He has also emphasized that he was inviting Minister of Defence Yuri Ekhanurov and head of the "Ukrspetsexport" Sergey Bondarchuk already for the fourth time to the session of the commission.
Mr Konovalyuk insists that military hardware had been sold at essentially decreased prices, and as a result the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine had lost hundreds of millions hrivnas.
