Controversy Follows Ukrainian Official

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's U.S.-born justice minister has bounced from one controversy to another, dodging allegations he was a spy, improperly lobbied on behalf of his wife's oil business and -- in what could prove the most damaging -- lied on his resume.

Roman Zvarych, 51, was born in New York City into a family of Ukrainian immigrants. In 1993, he surrendered his U.S. passport to adopt Ukrainian citizenship and went on to win a seat in the parliament.

"I could never imagine my life without Ukraine," Zvarych told The Associated Press in an interview. "I always felt that my place is in Ukraine and I must be there."

An ally of President Viktor Yushchenko, Zvarych was tapped to head the Justice Ministry after the Orange Revolution that brought Yushchenko to power. He had been a member of Yushchenko's legal team, which persuaded the Supreme Court to annul the fraud-marred presidential vote and order a new election, which Yushchenko won.

Zvarych pledged as justice minister to promote the rule of law and to fight corruption -- two of Yushchenko's top priorities. But Zvarych's first few months in office have been tainted by scandal.

He repeatedly maintained that he graduated from Columbia University in 1981 -- an achievement included on his resume posted on the government Web site. His spokeswoman, Olena Iskorostenska, said Zvarych received a master of philosophy degree.

Columbia University told the AP that Zvarych, whose name was spelled in its records the way his family in America has spelled it -- Zwarycz -- never received a degree. He attended its Department of International Affairs from the fall of 1976 to the spring of 1978, the university said.

Zvarych's resume also said he was a professor at New York University from 1983 to 1991. The university told the AP Zvarych was a part-time adjunct professor at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies from September 1989 through May 31, 1992.

Zvarych's office refused to comment on the discrepancies.

Yushchenko's spokeswoman, Irina Gerashchenko, said that "everybody can make a mistake and everybody should have a chance to correct the mistake." But she added, "let it be on his conscience." Asked if the matter could force Zvarych's resignation, she said it was up to Yushchenko, who has so far refused to comment.

Zvarych is unlikely to win support from his day-to-day boss, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has quipped that "it would be nice" if all ministers put up their diplomas at government headquarters for public inspection. Zvarych said he lost his diploma.

Tymoshenko and Zvarych clashed earlier this year when the government prohibited the re-export of oil, an industry in which Zvarych's wife, Svetlana, is a leading figure. Zvarych argued the ban was against the law, prompting allegations that he was lobbying on behalf of his wife.

Zvarych denied all allegations and threatened to resign, but Yushchenko said he stood behind him.

Analyst Oleksandr Dergachev from the Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies in Kiev said Zvarych is a rarity for Ukrainian politics, interested more in professional recognition than in power.

However, he demonstrates a "meticulous observance of the rule of law and the use of a dry logic but doesn't take into account the political reality in Ukraine," Dergachev said.

Zvarych has also struggled because of his American background -- and still speaks Ukrainian with an American accent.

He has repeatedly denied media reports that he is a CIA agent. Zvarych said that during his university studies, he received offers from the U.S. spy agency but refused, believing "it is easy to join the CIA but almost impossible to leave it."

And Zvarych said in last month's interview that he has no regrets about giving up his U.S. citizenship to become a Ukrainian national, adding "everyone who knew me couldn't imagine anything different."

Source: AP