Scores of protesters have rallied in the Ukrainian capital, demanding the resignation of the country’s top prosecutor, who has been repeatedly criticized as an impediment to badly needed anticorruption reforms.
At least 200 people gathered outside the administrative offices of President Petro Poroshenko calling on him to fire Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin.
Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin
The protest on March 28 followed a Kiev court ruling that authorized Shokin's office to investigate a watchdog organization called the Anticorruption Action Center, over claims that the center embezzled $2.2 million in aid.
The center has been a vocal critic of Shokin, who had formally resigned in February but then abruptly resumed his duties earlier this month.
His resignation needs parliamentary approval, but it's unclear whether enough lawmakers in the Ukrainian parliament will approve the resignation when they vote on the issue on March 29.
Shokin’s deputy, Vitaliy Kasko, resigned last month, accusing Shokin and his office of being a "hotbed of corruption."Shokin's office dismissed the claim as a publicity stunt.
U.S. and European diplomats have publicly called for Shokin's dismissal, and a top U.S. State Department official whose area of responsibility includes Ukraine earlier this month publicly called for him to go.