Poroshenko broke into “Rada”’s live broadcast to blame it with "corruption scheme"

Screenshot from the video of Yan Dobronosov

Former president and leader of “European Solidarity” faction Petro Poroshenko interrupted the live broadcast of the renewed parliamentary TV channel “Rada” to say that the allocation of funds for its modernization was a "corruption scheme", as Ukrinform reported.

In the morning of December 16, Rada TV channel was broadcasting from its studio located on the sidelines of the parliament. Petro Poroshenko went into the studio and said that taxpayers' money had been illegally spent on modernization of the TV channel. He called it to be a "corruption scheme." 

He also noted that the work of the TV channel on the sidelines of the parliament hinders the work of MPs.

Poroshenko called on journalists working for the TV channel "not to be involved in this sham."

"If you, as journalists, see the first day of this broadcast, you will see that there was nothing to do with the coverage of parliamentary activities. This is an absolutely propaganda channel of Zelensky and the mono-majority. The taxpayers do not have to finance this shame at their own expense, ” Poroshenko later told reporters.

We will remind, on December 15 the Rada TV channel began working in the updated format.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget agreed to allocate an additional 320 million UAH (about $11 million) from the state budget for 2022 to the parliamentary TV channel "Rada" and the newspaper "Holos Ukraiyny" (Voice of Ukraine).

From the legal point of view, “Rada” TV channel has some points which cannot but cause concern, and this is not its state profile (even if in compliance with the Resolution 1466 (2205) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the council of Europe “On implementation of Ukraine’s duties and obligations “ , Ukraine had to make of its state broadcaster the public service broadcaster) , these are:

1.Non-transparency of the TV channel's editorial policy and lack of information about the TV channel's managers and key journalists, editors and other responsible persons.

2. Impossibility on the part of the public to exercise any control over the content and quality of information, in accordance with the statutory goals and interests of society of the state television organization.
3. Lack of information on budget financing of the TV channel and spending of budget funds.
4. Non-compliance with public procurement procedures in the case of procurement of information or other products.
5. Non-existance of a supervisory board or other control and inspection bodies that would prevent violations of the law by the management of the TV channel and the founders of the TV channel.