Ukraine appoints top parliamentarian Lutsenko as new prosecutor general

The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday approved Yury Lutsenko, head of the largest parliamentary faction, President Petro Poroshenko's bloc, as the country's prosecutor general.

Lutsenko, whose candidacy was nominated by Poroshenko, won 264 of the 350 votes cast in the 450-seat parliament, said a statement on the parliament's website.

The 51-year-old Lutsenko was seen by some analysts here a controversial candidate for the post of the top prosecutor as he has neither higher legal education nor the working experience in public prosecution bodies.

Lutsenko had served as the Interior Minister in the governments of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko twice -- from 2005 to 2006 and from 2007 to 2010.

In February 2012, Lutsenko was sentenced to four years in prison for the alleged abuse of office and embezzlement -- the charges, which were widely seen as politically motivated.

In April 2013, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych pardoned Lutsenko as his health has significantly deteriorated in prison.

In 2014, after the change of power in Ukraine, Lutsenko was rehabilitated as a political prisoner.

In March, the Ukrainian parliament has accepted a resignation of former Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who has resigned amid public allegations of corruption and failure to implement a key justice system reform.

Source: XINHUA