The very same.

Bahhhhhh!

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

Ah tribalism.

Anyway, Zelensky appeared in the Pandora Papers back in 2021. They showed that he and others close to him financially involved in a network of offshore companies, including some that owned expensive London property. The details of which appear in the article.

[Link]

Ukraine is incredibly corrupt and Zelensky is no different.

As the article may be disputed, the BBC also mention Zelensky's name and dealings in an article around the same time....you just have to scroll down to world leaders.

[Link]

Edited by Stirlingsays (09 Sep 2023 11.30pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

I thought I would post this here.

Ukraine Holocaust Ground Zero

[Link]

It was on C4 last week and is available on catch up.

My friend's son is one of the experts in the program. He's a academic who investigated the role of the normal German police (not the Gestapo) it has been said by them and their supporters that they played little or no role in the Holocaust.

However through research he was able to prove they played a far more significant role than had been previously thought.

Not for the faint hearted.

One more point

How is it yes when he has broken no laws? Yet again you do the work of the Kremlin like a good little bot drone.

Edited by Mapletree (11 Sep 2023 10.34pm)

Showing your age there Stirling, TISWAS.

Before he was a politician, Zelenskiy built a network of media companies as a successful media personality. He did this with the help of his production company and its employees. So far nothing surprising, albeit it's clear he has a few trusted colleagues

Within the network were offshore companies, set up both to optimise tax (if you have worked in media you will know that is always done) but mostly they set up these offshore “financial schemes” in order to protect the company from “authorities and bandits”. These were declared prior to the elections. If you lived in Ukraine at that time, or Russia or Belarus, you also would have done that to avoid becoming a puppet of the State or having your assets removed prior to defenestration. This also was not illegal, either in Ukraine or in the multiple countries where his work was sold.

It seems that, before getting into power Zelenskiy gave his holdings in the one undeclared offshore company (a 25% stake in Davegra) which owned Maltex in the British Virgin Islands to a trusted friend. That friend has said he himself has been trying to divest his offshore interests, but this was a slow and difficult process. Zelenskiy continued to benefit from royalties from Maltex relating to his (highly successful) back catalogue.

The information published by the Pandora papers that supports this information dates back to 2019. Nothing new has come up since then.

Meanwhile, in September 2021, Ukraine's Parliament passed an anti-oligarch Bill. The day before, the close friend of Zelenskiy mentioned above was subject to a near-miss in an assassination attempt that killed his driver, apparently in a bid to de-rail the Bill's passing.

Zelenskiy states repeatedly that his ultimate goal as president is to destroy “the traditional oligarchic order” and to replace it with a “fairer system”.

So, now, what do you want? Someone that shows every sign of trying to fix a state that was almost as corrupt as Russia and Belarus? Or to decry all that he is doing and make sure the old order remains in place? Whilst nobody could have grown up in Ukraine and not in some way been tainted by its history and culture, surely it is better to give support than unthinking criticism, as per the 'crook' comment that has still not been justified by its originator.

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index:

Although it still scores low, war-torn Ukraine (33) is one of few significant improvers on the CPI, having gained eight points since 2013. The country has long struggled with systemic abuse of power, but has taken important steps to improve oversight and accountability.

Meanwhile:

With a five-point decline since 2021, the UK (CPI score: 73) stands as a warning that countries in the top tier of the index are still vulnerable to the perception of corruption and undue influence.

Edited by Mapletree (12 Sep 2023 12.50pm)

Everytime the crook is in the news he is asking for money. He is like one giant go fund me fraud page.