On Thursday, October 31, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Andriy Kostin from the position of Attorney General of Ukraine. He signed the relevant decree. It is expected that the president will soon propose a candidate for the new head of the Prosecutor General's Office.
The decree on Kostin's dismissal was published on the president's office website. The document is dated October 31.
"Dismiss Andriy Yevhenovych Kostin from the position of Attorney General," the decree states.
Andriy Kostin had been serving as the Attorney General of Ukraine for over two years. He was appointed to this position on July 28, 2022.
The announcement of Kostin's resignation came amid a scandal involving 50 prosecutors from Khmelnytskyi, who, with the help of the head of the Medical and Social Expert Commission, Tetiana Krupia, obtained disability status. Krupia was detained on October 5, and during a search of her apartment, more than 6 million US dollars in cash was found. Journalist Yuriy Butusov believes that these prosecutors, thanks to Krupia, received second group disability status, which allowed them to avoid mobilization and receive pensions. The regional prosecutor, Oleksiy Oliinyk, also held a similar disability status and resigned after the scandal became public. On October 29, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the resolution to dismiss Andriy Kostin from the position of Attorney General.
Over the course of two years, numerous grievances accumulated against Andriy Kostin, which extended beyond the recent high-profile scandal involving "disabled prosecutors" or the actions of his controversial deputy Oleksiy Verbytsky (who has also been dismissed - ed.). Kostin's dismissal had been discussed multiple times, but he managed to remain in office, despite avoiding the submission of a resignation letter for an extended period. In the context of a personnel shortage, the President's Office lacked alternatives for his replacement.
Even more outrage was triggered by the fact that Kostin delayed signing the suspicion notice for MP Artem Dmitruk until he had left Kyiv. After a meeting with the president, Kostin stated that he was concerned about the situation; however, calls for his dismissal had already emerged on social media.
According to "Mirror of the Week," Kostin was often absent from his workplace, earning him the nickname "Attorney General of Foreign Affairs." While in office, he also attempted to avoid making decisions on sensitive issues, which diminished his significance for Bankova. Four out of his six representatives were more aligned with Deputy Head of the President's Office Oleg Tatarov, and were focused on directives from Bankova rather than Kostin.
In contrast, Ukraine's international partners expressed concerns about Kostin's low effectiveness in combating corruption. This was highlighted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during negotiations with Ukrainian leadership.
Lawmakers also voiced criticism for the fact that Kostin had not reported to the Verkhovna Rada even once in two years, despite being a former member of parliament and understanding the importance of such cooperation. As a result, journalistic investigations became the main source of information for the parliament regarding abuses in the Prosecutor General's Office.