Yushchenko Ally Cleared Of Corruption Charges

Poroshenko was cleared but lost his job in President Yushchenko's administration (epa) 17 December 2005 -- A Ukrainian parliamentary commission has cleared the former secretary of the National Security Council, Petro Poroshenko, of all accusations of corruption leveled against him.

Poroshenko, who is a close political ally of President Viktor Yushchenko, was removed from office in September after presidential aide Oleskandr Zinchenko and former Security Minister Oleksandr Turchynov accused him of corruption.

But the parliamentary commission ruled yesterday that neither Zinchenko or Turchynov has produced enough evidence to sustain their accusations.

Ukraine's former prosecutor-general, Svyatoslav Piskun, claims that Yushchenko sacked him in October because he had launched a criminal probe into Poroshenko.

(Unian/ICTV/Kanal 5)