Examine individual changes

'{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Short description|Former prosecutor-general in Ukraine}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Viktor Shokin | image = Viktor Shokin.jpg | office = 13th [[Prosecutor General of Ukraine]] | president = [[Petro Poroshenko]] | term_start = 10 February 2015 | term_end = 29 March 2016 | predecessor = [[Vitaly Yarema]] | successor = [[Yuriy Lutsenko]]<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Lutsenko appointed prosecutor general in Ukraine|url=https://www.unian.info/politics/1343771-lutsenko-appointed-prosecutor-general-in-ukraine.html|url-status=live|language=English|work=[[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency]]|publisher=[[1+1 Media Group]]|location=[[Kyiv]], [[Ukraine]]|date=12 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927163524/https://www.unian.info/politics/1343771-lutsenko-appointed-prosecutor-general-in-ukraine.html|archive-date=27 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> | birth_name = Viktor Mykolayovych Shokin | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|11|4|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Kyiv]], [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]] | death_date = | death_place = | party = unaffiliated | spouse = | alma_mater = | website = | signature = Shokin signature.jpg }} '''Viktor Mykolayovych Shokin''' ({{lang-uk|Віктор Миколайович Шокін}}) is a former [[Prosecutor General of Ukraine]]. Having previously worked as an investigator for the Prosecutor General Office, he served as Prosecutor General for a year between 2015 and 2016. He was removed from office in March 2016 by a vote in the [[Ukrainian Parliament]] following pressure from the [[European Union]], the [[United States]], the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[World Bank]].<ref name="FT-Envoys" /><ref name="Irish Times" /> ==Biography== Shokin was born 4 November 1952 in [[Kyiv]].<ref name=LIGAVS>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=4 April 2016|orig-year=First published 13 February 2015|title=Шокин Виктор: Экс-генпрокурор Украины Виктор|trans-title=Viktor Shokin: Ex-Attorney General of Ukraine|url=https://file.liga.net/persons/shokin-viktor|url-status=live|language=Russian|work=LIGA.net|publisher=Ligamedia|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828102239/https://file.liga.net/persons/shokin-viktor|archive-date=28 August 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> After graduating from the Kharkiv Law Institute (today [[Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University]]) in 1980, Shokin worked for the Prosecutor General Office as investigator until 2001. In an interview with ''[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]'' he stated that he was forced to retire in 2001 after refusing to take on the case against [[Yulia Tymoshenko]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nayyem|first1=Mustafa|author-link1=Mustafa Nayyem|last2=Leshchenko|first2=Serhiy|author-link2=Serhiy Leshchenko|date=14 December 2009|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2009/12/14/4537004/|url-status=live|language=Ukrainian|newspaper=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]|title=Віктор Шокін: Піскун боїться йти зі мною на очну ставку|trans-title=Viktor Shokin: Piskun is afraid to go on confrontation with me|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504170911/https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2009/12/14/4537004/|archive-date=4 May 2017|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> ==Prosecutorial career== Shokin was appointed Prosecutor General of Ukraine on 10 February 2015, replacing [[Vitaly Yarema]].<ref name=gropcfdU>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=PGO Shokin back after long leave|url=https://www.unian.info/politics/1291763-pgo-shokin-back-after-long-leave.html|url-status=live|language=English|work=Ukrainian Independent Information Agency|publisher=1+1 Media Group|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|date=16 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928165632/https://www.unian.info/politics/1291763-pgo-shokin-back-after-long-leave.html|archive-date=28 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> He was a controversial appointee due to his perceived role in blocking prosecutions against those accused of shooting demonstrators in the [[2014 Ukrainian revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.odfoundation.eu/a/6016%2Cstop-the-appointment-of-shokin|title=Stop the appointment of Shokin|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=13 February 2015|website=[[Open Dialogue Foundation]]|location=[[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]; [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]|language=English|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001191253/https://en.odfoundation.eu/a/6016%2Cstop-the-appointment-of-shokin|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref> As Prosecutor General, he was accused of blocking major cases against allies and influential figures and hindering the fight against [[corruption in Ukraine]].<ref name=McLaughlin2016>{{cite news|last=McLaughlin|first=Daniel|date=29 March 2016|title=EU hails sacking of Ukraine's prosecutor Viktor Shokin|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-hails-sacking-of-ukraine-s-prosecutor-viktor-shokin-1.2591190|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|language=English|location=[[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland]]|publisher=The Irish Times Trust|issn=1393-3515|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003215312/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-hails-sacking-of-ukraine-s-prosecutor-viktor-shokin-1.2591190|archive-date=3 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> In early April 2015, Shokin stated that the General Prosecutor Ukraine (GPU) files about criminal orders from former General Prosecutor [[Viktor Pshonka]]{{efn|After the fall of [[Viktor Yanukovych]]'s government in February 2014, Pshonka, a Russian citizen<ref name=PshonkaRussianCitizen>{{cite news |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/06/13/7028982/ |title=Пшонка та його син мають громадянство Росії |trans-title=Pshonka and his son have Russian citizenship |work=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |date=13 June 2014 |access-date=25 November 2019 |language=Ukrainian}}</ref> with an arrest warrant issued for him,<ref name=BBCPshonkaArrestWarrant>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26312008 |title=Ukraine: Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov named interim president |work=[[BBC News]] |date=23 February 2014 |access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref> fled from Ukraine to Russia and was last publicly seen on 13 April 2014, at [[Rostov-on-Don]] in [[Russia]].<ref name=PshonkaLastSeen>{{cite news |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/11/5/7125899/ |title=З дачі Пшонки зникли мармурові леви - журналіст |trans-title=From Pshonka mansion disappears the marble lions - journalist |last=Тарасовська |first=Наталя (Tarasovska, Natalia ) |work=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |date=5 November 2016 |access-date=25 November 2019 |language=Ukrainian}}</ref> The Pshonka gold jewelry businesses, formerly located in [[Kramatorsk]], [[Donetsk Oblast]], Ukraine, moved to [[Sebastopol]] in [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Russian annexed]] [[Crimea]] in the fall 2014.<ref name=PshonkaBussinessesCrimea>{{cite news |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/11/4/7125757/ |title=Родина Пшонки перевезла ювелірний бізнес до Криму – "Схеми" |trans-title=Pshonka's family transports jewelry business to Crimea - Schemes |work=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |date=4 November 2016 |access-date=25 November 2019 |language=Ukrainian}}</ref><ref name=PshonkaGold>{{cite news |url=https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/28095246.html |title=Золото Пшонки (розслідування) |trans-title=Wheat gold (investigation) |last=Чорновалов |first=Олександр (Chornalov, Alexander)|work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|Radio Svoboda]] |date=4 November 2016 |access-date=25 November 2019 |language=Ukrainian}}</ref> Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since the [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)|Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2014]].}} had disappeared, along with Pshonka's secret casework and secret materials. Shokin stated, "I will tell you more: not only criminal cases, but secret materials are missing - secret casework. Including, as far as Victor Pshonka's orders were concerned." ({{lang-ru|Виктор Шокин: "Я вам больше скажу: пропали не только уголовные дела, но секретные материалы – секретное делопроизводство. В том числе, то, что касалось распоряжений Виктора Пшонки."}}).<ref name=UkPravda>{{cite news |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2017/04/10/7140756/ |title=Хроніка 10 квітня. Мерседес для "Нафтогазу" та прощання з Яценюком |trans-title=The Chronicle of April 10. Mercedes for Naftogaz and farewell to Yatsenyuk |last=Халілов |first=Рустем (Khalilov, Rustem) |work=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |date=10 April 2017 |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=10 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410214910/https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2017/04/10/7140756/ |language=Ukrainian}}</ref><ref name=UnianMissingGPUfiles>{{cite news |url=https://www.unian.info/politics/1066032-shokin-tymoshenko-case-files-missing-from-pgo.html |title=Shokin: Tymoshenko case files missing from PGO |agency=[[Unian]] |date=10 April 2015 |access-date=26 November 2019 |language=English |archive-date=10 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710200105/https://www.unian.info/politics/1066032-shokin-tymoshenko-case-files-missing-from-pgo.html}}</ref><ref name=LBmissingGPUfiles>{{cite news |url=https://ukr.lb.ua/news/2015/04/09/301451_viktor_shokin_komandu_strilyati.html |title=Віктор Шокін: "Команду стріляти по Майдану давав Янукович" |trans-title=Viktor Shokin: "Yanukovych gave command to shoot on Maidan" |last=Кошкина |first=Соня (Koshkina, Sonia) |work=[[:uk:Лівий берег|LB.ua]] |date=9 April 2015 |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204003351/https://ukr.lb.ua/news/2015/04/09/301451_viktor_shokin_komandu_strilyati.html |language=Ukrainian}}</ref> Various street protests demanding Shokin's resignation were held.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Auto-Maidan protesters arrived at Poroshenko's residence, demanding Shokin's resignation (photos)|url=https://www.unian.info/society/1170127-auto-maidan-protesters-arrived-at-poroshenkos-residence-demanding-shokins-resignation-photos.html|url-status=live|language=English|work=Ukrainian Independent Information Agency|publisher=1+1 Media Group|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|date=31 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408221505/http://www.unian.info/web/20160408000000*/http://www.unian.info/society/1170127-auto-maidan-protesters-arrived-at-poroshenkos-residence-demanding-shokins-resignation-photos.html|archive-date=8 April 2016|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Chernichkin|first1=Kostyantyn|last2=Sukhov|first2=Oleg|date=25 March 2016|title=Demonstrators protest Shokin's firing of anti-corruption prosecutors|url=https://www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/photo/anticorruption-meeting-410708|url-status=live|language=English|newspaper=[[Kyiv Post]]|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=Businessgroup LLC|issn=1563-6429|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221165607/https://www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/photo/anticorruption-meeting-410708|archive-date=21 February 2017|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref><ref name=RFEUkraine2016>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-protest-prosecutor-shokin-dismissal/27639981.html|url-status=live|title=Ukrainian Protesters Demand Dismissal Of Prosecutor-General|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=28 March 2016|website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]|publisher=[[U.S. Agency for Global Media]]|location=[[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]]|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001092504/https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-protest-prosecutor-shokin-dismissal/27639981.html|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> On 2 November 2015, there was an assassination attempt against him when an unidentified sniper fired three shots into his office, but was foiled by the bulletproof glass window.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=3 November 2016|title=Ukraine prosecutor Viktor Shokin 'targeted by sniper'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34710373|url-status=live|work=[[BBC News]]|location=[[London]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311220328/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34710373|archive-date=11 March 2016|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> In response to a query from [[Ukrainian News Agency]] in late 2019, the [[Security Service of Ukraine]] (SBU) acknowledged that it is continuing to investigate the attempted assassination of Shokin.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=SBU Continues Investigating Case Upon Attempted Assassination Of Ex-Prosecutor General Shokin|url=https://ukranews.com/en/news/657051-sbu-continues-investigating-case-upon-attempted-assassination-of-ex-prosecutor-general-shokin|url-status=live|agency=[[Ukrainian News Agency]]|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=Inter Media Group Ltd.|date=1 October 2019|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006144258/https://ukranews.com/en/news/657051-sbu-continues-investigating-case-upon-attempted-assassination-of-ex-prosecutor-general-shokin|archive-date=6 October 2019|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> Through 2015 and early 2016, domestic and international pressure (including from the [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], the [[European Union|EU]], and the [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|EBRD]]) built for Shokin to be removed from office. The [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Obama administration]] withheld $1 billion in loan guarantees to pressure the Ukrainian government to remove Shokin from office.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Yaffa|first=Joshua|date=29 August 2016|title=Reforming Ukraine After the Revolutions|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/05/reforming-ukraine-after-maidan|url-status=live|department=Letter from Kiev|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=English|location=New York City|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|issn=0028-792X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925214632/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/05/reforming-ukraine-after-maidan|archive-date=25 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}} "This article appears in the print edition of the September 5, 2016, issue, with the headline 'After the Revolutions.'"</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Clemons|first=Steve|author-link=Steven Clemons|date=26 August 2016|title=The Geopolitical Therapist|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/08/joe-biden-interview/497633/|url-status=live|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|language=English|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|publisher=[[Emerson Collective]]|issn=2151-9463|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722212205/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/08/joe-biden-interview/497633/|archive-date=22 July 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref><ref name=Cullison2019>{{cite news|last=Cullison|first=Alan|date=22 September 2019|title=Bidens in Ukraine: An Explainer|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-anticorruption-effort-in-ukraine-overlapped-with-sons-work-in-country-11569189782|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|language=English|location=New York City|publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]]|issn=0099-9660|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003173059/https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-anticorruption-effort-in-ukraine-overlapped-with-sons-work-in-country-11569189782|archive-date=3 October 2019|accessdate=4 October 2019|quote=Messrs. Trump and Giuliani have suggested that Joe Biden pushed for the firing of Ukraine's general prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016 to stop an investigation into Burisma. In Ukraine, government officials and anticorruption advocates say that is a misrepresentation. ... Mr. Shokin had dragged his feet into those investigations, Western diplomats said, and effectively squashed one in London by failing to cooperate with U.K. authorities. ... In a speech in 2015, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, called the Ukrainian prosecutor 'an obstacle' to anticorruption efforts...|url-access=subscription}} *{{cite news|last1=Ballhaus|first1=Rebecca|author1-link=Rebecca Ballhaus|last2=Bender|first2=Michael C.|last3=Salama|first3=Vivian|others=Alan Cullison, Courtney McBride, Natalie Andrews and Georgi Kantchev contributed to this article|date=3 October 2019|title=Trump Ordered Ukraine Ambassador Removed After Complaints From Giuliani, Others|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-ordered-ukraine-ambassador-removed-after-complaints-from-giuliani-others/ar-AAIfAF6?li=BBnb7Kz&pfr=1|work=[[MSN|MSN.com]]|location=Redmond, WA|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=22 November 2019}} Story provided by ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref>{{efn|In March 2016 testimony to the [[Senate Foreign Relations Committee]], former ambassador to Ukraine [[John E. Herbst]] stated, "By late fall of 2015, the EU and the United States joined the chorus of those seeking Mr. Shokin’s removal" and that Joe Biden "spoke publicly about this before and during his December visit to Kyiv." During the same hearing, assistant secretary of state [[Victoria Nuland]] stated, "we have pegged our next $1 billion loan guarantee, first and foremost, to having a rebooting of the reform coalition so that we know who we are working with, but secondarily, to ensuring that the prosecutor general’s office gets cleaned up."<ref name="Herbst">{{cite web|url=https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/031516_Herbst_Testimony.pdf|title=The Double Challenge to Ukraine: Kremlin Aggression and Reform|date=15 March 2016|publisher=US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation|access-date=30 January 2020}}</ref>}} His defenders nonetheless argued that he played an important role "balancing competing political interests".<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=30 March 2016|title=Prosecutor General ousted for corruption|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36686487/star_tribune/|language=English|newspaper=[[Star Tribune]]|location=[[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota|MN]]|publisher=Michael J. Klingensmith|page=A6|issn=0895-2825|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> His Deputy Prosecutor, [[Vitaly Kasko]], announced his resignation on 15 February 2016 denouncing the corruption and lawlessness of the Prosecutor's office.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Ex-prosecutor Kasko says Shokin gave instructions coming from MP Kononenko|url=https://www.unian.info/politics/1276345-ex-prosecutor-kasko-says-shokin-gave-instructions-coming-from-mp-kononenko.html|url-status=live|language=English|work=Ukrainian Independent Information Agency|publisher=1+1 Media Group|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|date=26 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002141557/https://www.unian.info/politics/1276345-ex-prosecutor-kasko-says-shokin-gave-instructions-coming-from-mp-kononenko.html|archive-date=2 October 2019|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref> Shokin was also criticized in Ukraine for failing to prosecute snipers who killed demonstrators during the revolution, as well as for failing to investigate corrupt businesses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 February 2016 |title=IMF warning sparks Ukraine pledge on corruption and reform |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/44c1641e-cff7-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377 |access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> On 16 February 2016, Shokin submitted a letter of resignation,<ref>{{cite news|last1=MacDonald|first1=Euan|last2=Sukhov|first2=Oleg|date=16 February 2016|title=Prosecutor General Shokin resigns (UPDATED)|url=https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/media-prosecutor-general-shokin-submits-resignation-408228.html|url-status=live|language=English|newspaper=Kyiv Post|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=Businessgroup LLC|issn=1563-6429|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921102353/https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/media-prosecutor-general-shokin-submits-resignation-408228.html|archive-date=21 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2016}}</ref> although the next day an official of the prosecution office stated, "As far as I know he has taken a paid leave".<ref name=whsg>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=17 February 2016|title=Chief prosecutor Shokin on leave – PGO|url=https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/325308.html|url-status=live|work=[[Interfax-Ukraine]]|language=English|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=[[Interfax]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001164259/https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/325308.html|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> On 19 February 2016 [[President of Ukraine|presidential]] press secretary Sviatoslav Tsegolko wrote on [[Twitter]] that the [[Office of the President of Ukraine|presidential administration]] had received an official letter of resignation from Shokin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poroshenko-shokin-prosecutor-resignation/27561662.html|url-status=live|title=Poroshenko's Office Announces Receipt Of Shokin Resignation|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=19 February 2016|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|publisher=U.S. Agency for Global Media|location=Prague, Czech Republic|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207111658/http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poroshenko-shokin-prosecutor-resignation/27561662.html/|archive-date=7 December 2016|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> On 16 March 2016 an official of the prosecution office stated that Shokin had resumed his work.<ref name=gropcfdU /> On the same day, his office carried out a raid against one of Ukraine's leading anti-corruption groups, the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), claiming that it had misappropriated aid money.<ref name=RFEUkraine2016 /> AntAC was a frequent critic of the Prosecutor General's Office under Shokin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_no_reforms_no_aid_for_ukraine_7020|url-status=live|title=No reforms, no aid for Ukraine|last=Cohen|first=Josh|date=6 May 2016|publisher=[[European Council on Foreign Relations]]|location=[[Berlin]]|language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002144322/https://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_no_reforms_no_aid_for_ukraine_7020|archive-date=2 October 2019|access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref> In one notorious case, two of Shokin's prosecutors were caught with stashes of diamonds, cash and valuables in their homes, likely indicating [[bribery]]. Prosecutors from another department of Shokin's office were fired or reassigned when they attempted to bring a prosecution against the so-called "diamond prosecutors".<ref name=Kramer2016>{{cite news|last=Kramer|first=Andrew E.|title=Ukraine Ousts Viktor Shokin, Top Prosecutor, and Political Stability Hangs in the Balance|date=29 March 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/world/europe/political-stability-in-the-balance-as-ukraine-ousts-top-prosecutor.html|url-status=live|language=English|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=[[New York City]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003135343/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/world/europe/political-stability-in-the-balance-as-ukraine-ousts-top-prosecutor.html|archive-date=3 October 2019|access-date=27 September 2019}} "A version of this article appears in print on March 29, 2016, Section A, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Risking Political Stability, Ukraine Ousts Top Prosecutor ."</ref> On 28 March, protesters called for Shokin's firing, after his office was authorized by a Kyiv court to investigate AntAC.<ref name=RFEUkraine2016 /><ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=30 March 2016|title=Anti-Corruption Action Center prepares statement about PGO offenses|url=https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/anti-corruption-action-center-prepares-statement-about-pgo-offenses-410996.html|url-status=live|language=English|newspaper=Kyiv Post|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=Businessgroup LLC|agency=Interfax-Ukraine|issn=1563-6429|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617184120/https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/anti-corruption-action-center-prepares-statement-about-pgo-offenses-410996.html|archive-date=17 June 2017|access-date=7 October 2019}}</ref> Shokin was formally dismissed in a parliamentary vote on 29 March 2016.<ref name=SfgbVR>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=29 March 2016|title=Rada agrees to dismiss Ukrainian Prosecutor General Shokin|url=https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/333889.html|url-status=live|work=Interfax-Ukraine|language=English|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=Interfax|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001180935/https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/333889.html|archive-date=1 October 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> The [[European Union]] praised Shokin's dismissal due to a "lack of tangible results" of his office's investigations, and also because people in Shokin's office were themselves being investigated.<ref name=McLaughlin2016 /> Following his dismissal Shokin went into retirement.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=29 March 2016|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/03/29/7103673/|url-status=live|language=Ukrainian|newspaper=Ukrayinska Pravda|title=Шокін радий і зібрався на пенсію|trans-title=Shokin is happy and is about to retire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602115528/https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2016/03/29/7103673/|archive-date=2 June 2016|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> On 27 February 2020, a court ruling forced investigators to open a probe on Biden's pressure on Poroshenko to fire Shokin.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--David L. Stern and Robyn Dixon(s); no by-line.-->|date=27 February 2020|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-court-forces-probe-into-biden-role-in-firing-of-prosecutor-viktor-shokin/2020/02/27/92710222-5983-11ea-8efd-0f904bdd8057_story.html|url-status=live|language=English|newspaper=Washington Post|title=Ukraine court forces probe into Biden role in firing of prosecutor Viktor Shokin}}</ref> == Failure to properly investigate Burisma Holdings == In 2012, the Ukrainian prosecutor general [[Viktor Pshonka]] began investigating [[Ukrainian oligarchs|Ukrainian oligarch]] [[Mykola Zlochevsky]], owner of the natural gas company [[Burisma Holdings]], over allegations of [[money laundering]], [[tax evasion]], and corruption during 2010–2012.<ref name=sorting>{{cite news|last=Vogel|first=Kenneth P.|author-link=Kenneth P. Vogel|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/biden-ukraine-trump.html|url-status=live|language=English|title=Trump, Biden and Ukraine: Sorting Out the Accusations|date=22 September 2019|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York City|publisher=The New York Times Company|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003102836/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/politics/biden-ukraine-trump.html|archive-date=3 October 2019|access-date=23 September 2019}} "A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 22, 2019, Section A, Page 19 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Is Pointing Fingers, but Here’s the Rundown on Biden and Son."</ref><ref name=Reuters27092019>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-ukraine-buris/ukraine-agency-says-allegations-against-burisma-cover-period-before-biden-joined-idUSKBN1WC1LV |title=Ukraine agency says allegations against Burisma cover period before Biden joined |last1=Ivanova |first1=Polina |last2=Polityuk |first2=Pavel |agency=[[Reuters]] |location=[[Kyiv]] |date=27 September 2019 |access-date=12 December 2019}}</ref> In 2015, Shokin became the prosecutor general, inheriting the investigation. The Obama administration and other governments and [[non-governmental organization]]s soon became concerned that Shokin was not adequately pursuing corruption in Ukraine, was protecting the political elite, and was regarded as "an obstacle to anti-corruption efforts".<ref name=Cullison2019 /> Among other issues, he was slow-walking the investigation into Zlochevsky and Burisma and, according to Zlochevsky's allies, using the threat of prosecution to try to solicit bribes from Mr. Zlochevsky and his team – to the extent that Obama officials were considering launching their own criminal investigation into the company for possible money laundering.<ref name=sorting /> While visiting Kyiv in December 2015, then-U.S. Vice President [[Joe Biden]] warned Ukrainian President [[Petro Poroshenko]] that, if he did not fire Shokin, the Obama administration was prepared to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees. Biden later said: "I looked at them and said, 'I'm leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money.' [...] He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time." Whether or not Shokin's successor was "solid" was never confirmed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ballhaus|first=Rebecca|author-link=Rebecca Ballhaus|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/timeline-of-trump-ukraine-bidens-story-11569095501|url-status=live|title=Timeline of Trump-Ukraine-Bidens Story|date=21 September 2019|language=en|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|location=New York City|publisher=Dow Jones & Company|issn=0099-9660|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930192056/https://www.wsj.com/articles/timeline-of-trump-ukraine-bidens-story-11569095501|archive-date=30 September 2019|access-date=30 September 2019|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Shokin was dismissed by [[Verkhovna Rada|Parliament]] in late March 2016. In a sworn affidavit dated 4 September 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/427618359/Shokin-Statement|title=Shokin Statement|last=Solomon|first=John|date=4 September 2019|website=Scribd|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> for a European court, Shokin stated that "On several occasions President Poroshenko asked me to have a look at the criminal case against Burisma and consider the possibility of winding down the investigative actions in respect of this company, but I refused to close this investigation."<ref>{{cite news|last=Singman|first=Brooke|date=3 October 2019|title=Documents heighten scrutiny on Biden-Ukraine dealings, indicate Hunter may have made 'millions'|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/documents-heighten-scrutiny-on-biden-ukraine-dealings-indicate-hunter-may-have-made-millions|url-status=live|language=English|work=[[Fox News]]|location=New York City|publisher=[[Fox Corporation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004061313/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/documents-heighten-scrutiny-on-biden-ukraine-dealings-indicate-hunter-may-have-made-millions|archive-date=4 October 2019|access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref> Shokin's affidavit notes that it was prepared "at the request of lawyers acting for [[Dmitry Firtash]]," which since July 2019 included [[Joe diGenova]] and [[Victoria Toensing]], close associates of President Trump, [[Rudy Giuliani]] and [[Lev Parnas]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-linked-giuliani-pals-gas-deals-biden-dirt-n1067516 |title=Oligarch Firtash linked to Giuliani pals' gas deals and Biden research |work=NBC News |first=Ken |last=Dilanian |first2=Dan |last2=De Luce |first3=Tom |last3=Winter |date=16 October 2019 |accessdate=18 October 2019 }}</ref> [[John E. Herbst|John Herbst]], the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]], said that Shokin's support of Firtash, who had been arrested for bribery in 2014, undercuts Shokin's claims to be motivated by transparency.<ref name=fp>{{cite news|last=Mackinnon|first=Amy|date=3 October 2019|title=Giuliani's Claims Spread to Another Ukraine Corruption Case|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/03/giuliani-claims-ukraine-corruption-case-firtash-dmytro-wanted-extradition-whistleblower-impeachment-biden/|url-status=live|language=English|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=The FP Group|issn=0015-7228|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004134154/https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/03/giuliani-claims-ukraine-corruption-case-firtash-dmytro-wanted-extradition-whistleblower-impeachment-biden/|archive-date=4 October 2019|accessdate=5 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Schreckinger|first=Ben|date=3 October 2019|title=Ukraine scandal ropes in the usual suspects|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-scandal-ropes-in-the-usual-suspects-digenova-toensing-firtash/|url-status=live|language=English|website=[[Politico Europe]]|location=[[Arlington County, Virginia]]|publisher=[[Capitol News Company]]|issn=2406-5250|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004054808/https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-scandal-ropes-in-the-usual-suspects-digenova-toensing-firtash/|archive-date=4 October 2019|accessdate=5 October 2019}}</ref> Shokin claimed in May 2019 that he had been investigating Burisma Holdings.<ref name=Kramer2016 /><ref name="biden-son-ukraine">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/politics/biden-son-ukraine.html|url-status=live|title=Biden Faces Conflict of Interest Questions That Are Being Promoted by Trump and Allies|last1=Vogel|first1=Kenneth P.|last2=Mendel|first2=Iuliia|author-link2=Iuliia Mendel|date=1 May 2019|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York City|publisher=The New York Times Company|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004050500/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/politics/biden-son-ukraine.html|archive-date=4 October 2019|access-date=5 May 2019}} "A version of this article appears in print on May 1, 2019, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: For Biden, a Ukraine Matter That Won’t Go Away."</ref> However, Vitaly Kasko, who had been Shokin's deputy overseeing international cooperation before resigning in February 2016 citing corruption in the office, provided documents to [[Bloomberg News]] indicating that under Shokin, the investigation into Burisma had been dormant.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Stephanie|last2=Krasnolutska|first2=Daryna|date=7 May 2019|orig-year=First published 6 May 2019|title=Timeline in Ukraine Probe Casts Doubt on Giuliani's Biden Claim|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-07/timeline-in-ukraine-probe-casts-doubt-on-giuliani-s-biden-claim|url-status=live|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|language=English|location=New York City|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005023213/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-07/timeline-in-ukraine-probe-casts-doubt-on-giuliani-s-biden-claim|archive-date=5 October 2019|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/may/07/viral-image/fact-checking-joe-biden-hunter-biden-and-ukraine/|url-status=live|title=Fact Checking: Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Ukraine|last=Jacobson|first=Louis|date=7 May 2019|language=English|work=[[PolitiFact]]|location=[[St. Petersburg, Florida]]|publisher=[[Poynter Institute]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191004040509/https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/may/07/viral-image/fact-checking-joe-biden-hunter-biden-and-ukraine/|archive-date=4 October 2019|access-date=20 September 2019}}</ref> THIS BIASED ARTICLE MUST INCLUDE ACTUAL DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE THAT HUNTER BIDEN, THEN US VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN'S SON, WAS HIRED TO BE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BURISMA DESPITE HAVING NO KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERIENCE IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY. BURISMA DID NOT DISCLOSE WHAT VALUE HUNTER HAD WHEN THEY APPOINTED HIM. HOWEVER, AFTER THAT VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN THREATENED UKRAINE WITH THE WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS UNLESS THEY FIRED THIS PROSECUTOR. The investigation into Burisma only pertained to events happening before<ref name=Ivanova2019>{{cite news|last1=Ivanova|first1=Polina|last2=Polityuk|first2=Pavel|date=27 September 2019|title=Ukraine agency says allegations against Burisma cover period before Biden joined|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-ukraine-buris/ukraine-agency-says-allegations-against-burisma-cover-period-before-biden-joined-idUSKBN1WC1LV|url-status=live|language=English|agency=[[Reuters]]|location=London|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003215310/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-ukraine-buris/ukraine-agency-says-allegations-against-burisma-cover-period-before-biden-joined-idUSKBN1WC1LV|archive-date=3 October 2019|access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref> Joe Biden's son, [[Hunter Biden]], joined the board of directors of Burisma Holdings in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last=Seddon|first=Max|date=13 May 2014|title=Biden's Son, Polish Ex-President Quietly Sign On To Ukrainian Gas Company|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/bidens-son-polish-ex-president-quietly-sign-on-to-ukrainian|url-status=live|language=English|work=[[BuzzFeed News]]|location=New York City|publisher=[[BuzzFeed]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924213301/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/maxseddon/bidens-son-polish-ex-president-quietly-sign-on-to-ukrainian|archive-date=24 September 2019|access-date=4 October 2019}}</ref> US President Donald Trump's [[Trump–Ukraine scandal|subsequent bid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation of Joe Biden]] in relation to Burisma led to the December 2019 [[Impeachment of Donald Trump|impeachment of Trump]]. THIS STATEMENT IS TOTALLY MISLEADING BECAUSE THE INVESTIGATION WAS ONGOING AT THE TIME HUNTER WAS APPOINTED, AND IT WAS STILL ONGOING UP TO THE TIME JOE BIDEN THREATENED TO WITHHOLD FUNDS AND FORCED UKRAINE TO FIRE SHOKIN. SOMEONE ON THE EDITORIAL STAFF KEEPS SUPPRESSING THIS INFORMATION. ==Parliamentary investigations and removal from office== In July 2015, shortly after his appointment, reformist minority member [[Yehor Soboliev]] advanced a motion to dismiss Shokin for corruption, gaining 127 of the required 150 signatures including several members of the ruling parties.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 October 2019 |title=The inside story of Ukraine’s ‘very good’ prosecutor at the centre of Trump's latest scandal |language=en |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/viktor-shokin-ukraine-prosecutor-trump-biden-hunter-joe-investigation-impeachment-a9147001.html |access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> Representatives of the EU and the United States pressed Poroshenko for his removal,<ref name="FT-Envoys">{{Cite news |date=4 October 2019 |title=Envoys pushed to oust Ukraine prosecutor before Biden |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e1454ace-e61b-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc |access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> as did the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.<ref name="Irish Times">{{Cite news |title=The Bidens, Burisma and impeachment, explained |work=Washington Post}}</ref> In March 2016 the Ukrainian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to remove Shokin, a decision which was welcomed by the EU.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Daniel |title=EU hails sacking of Ukraine’s prosecutor Viktor Shokin |language=en |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-hails-sacking-of-ukraine-s-prosecutor-viktor-shokin-1.2591190 |access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> == Family == Daughter&nbsp;— Tatiana Gornostaeva&nbsp;— Deputy prosecutor of the [[Odessa Oblast]]. Son-in-law&nbsp;— Alexey Gornostaev&nbsp;— Deputy Prosecutor of the Kievsky District of [[Odessa]]. Matchmaker&nbsp;— Nikolay Gornostaev&nbsp;— Deputy Prosecutor of the [[Dnipropetrovsk Oblast]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/02/10/7058116/|title=У Шокіна цілий прокурорський клан: дочка, зять, сват|date=10 February 2015|publisher=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]]|accessdate=7 December 2020|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6WF9T733z?url=http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/02/10/7058116/|archivedate=10 February 2015}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Trump–Ukraine scandal]] * [[Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal]] ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * [http://dovidka.com.ua/user/?code=283837 Dovidka.com.ua] (in Ukrainian) {{Prosecutors General of Ukraine}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Shokin, Viktor}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Lawyers from Kyiv]] [[Category:National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine alumni]] [[Category:Ukrainian agriculturists]] [[Category:Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University alumni]] [[Category:Ukrainian jurists]] [[Category:General Prosecutors of Ukraine]] [[Category:21st-century Ukrainian lawyers]] [[Category:Trump–Ukraine scandal]]'