Free Republic

Former Ukraine leader ordered to prison By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer Fri Aug 25, 2006 Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko was sentenced Friday to nine years in federal prison for money laundering, wire fraud and extortion. The sentence, which also included $10 million in fines, was half of the maximum sought by prosecutors, who said Lazarenko misused his office in the former Soviet republic to get rich through business schemes. Lazarenko, 53, was the first former head of government to be tried in the United States since Manuel Noriega of Panama. A jury in U.S. District Court convicted...

Former Ukrainian Leader Accused in U.S. of Money Laundering, Looting Mar 14, 2004 By David Kravets/ Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Extortion, fraud, bribery, graft, assassination attempts and illicit overseas bank accounts holding hundreds of millions of dollars. The story of international intrigue unfolds here Monday when Pavlo Lazarenko, the former prime minister of Ukraine, stands trial in federal court on suspicion of laundering at least $114 million of an illegally obtained fortune through banks in the United States. Lazarenko, the first former head of government to be tried in the United States since Manuel Noriega of Panama...