Cash: $12 million. Decoration of a dining hall and tea room: $2.3 million. Statue of a wild boar: $115,000. "A bribe": $4,000.
These are some of the expenses detailed in financial documents found in President Viktor Yanukovych's abandoned residence, which was occupied by protesters after the leader fled the capital.
As thousands of Ukrainians continued to tour Yanukovych's opulent estate outside of Kiev on Sunday, evidence was uncovered of lavish spending in an economy that is teetering on the verge of default.
Yanukovych left Kiev on Friday night after opposition protesters took control of the capital and the national parliament in the wake of deadly clashes with police last week. More than 70 people were killed and hundreds were injured.
While visitors gawked in awe and outrage at Yanukovych's luxurious mansions, ponds and exotic animals, journalists combed through heaps of documents that appeared to show a leader who basked in extravagant wealth while his country sought bailouts from both the West and Russia.
Many of the financial and other documents were burned, while others were dumped in a lake before Yanukovych fled his closely guarded residence, flying to the eastern city of Kharkiv, where his support base is strongest. Divers were able to retrieve many of the documents, and activists laid them out to dry.
Photos of the documents were posted online by Mustafa Nayem, a top Ukrainian investigative journalist for the Ukrainska Pravda website and Hromadske.tv online news channel. Other respected Ukrainian news outlets also reported on the documents.
One was a receipt for $12 million in cash. Another invoice was for a payment of $10 million. Some 80,000 euros (about $110,000) went for curtains in a room called the "knight's hall." Another 1.1 million euros (about $1.5 million) was spent on plants. Wooden decor for a handful of rooms cost $2.3 million.
Notably, $115,000 was spent for a statue of a "running boar," possibly intended for Yanukovych, who is an avid hunter.
One page listed expenditures, and next to item No. 47 on the sheet was a payment of 32,580 hryvna (nearly $4,000) for what was described as a "bribe" used in a bidding process.
The documents were sure to fuel more anger among protesters.
Yanukovych's whereabouts were unknown Sunday. An aide said she last spoke to him Saturday night and he considered himself the legitimate president of Ukraine and did not intend to leave the country.
His residence in the Mezhygirya Park, about 140 hectares (345 acres) of forested hills along the Dnipro River had become for many Ukrainians a symbol of a corrupt administration. The president refused to answer questions about the estate, saying he lived in a modest house on a small plot of land on the grounds.
Journalists' investigations traced the property and buildings around it to Yanukovych's allies.
After Yanukovych's departure from Kiev, the estate was taken over by the opposition's self-defense units, which opened it to visitors and deployed activists to maintain order and prevent any looting or property damage. Ukrainians, many bringing their children, rushed to tour the parks. They reacted with wonder and revulsion at the opulence, including Yanukovych's private golf courses, pig farm and a small zoo with ostriches and peacocks.
Some have called for turning the site into a hospital, sanatorium or even a "museum of corruption."
The Verkhovna Rada — Ukraine's parliament that is now controlled by the opposition — voted Sunday to turn over control of the estate to the government.
Yanukovych's lifestyle was on the minds of some in the crowd of thousands who flocked Sunday to the epicenter of the protests in Kiev's central square, known as the Maidan. The people paid their respects to those demonstrators who died in the unrest.
Yaryna Mosur, who left her two children in western Ukraine to take part in the protests, stood on the square wrapped in the Ukrainian flag as a black-robed Orthodox priest led prayers from a stage.
She said she was infuriated by the wealth on display in Yanukovych's estate.
"We are all in shock, but he will pay for it all dearly," Mosur said.
乌克兰总统亚努科维奇已于21日晚离开首都基辅,示威者随即占据了其豪华住所。据美国媒体2月23日报道,在亚努科维奇宅邸找到的文件显示,他的日常开销非常奢侈。
文件记录包括:1200万美元的现金收据;1000万美元的发票;“骑士大厅”的窗帘花了8万欧元(约11万美元);110万欧元的各种花木;房间的木质装饰品花了230万美元;一尊“野猪”雕像花了11.5万美元;投标中的“贿赂”花了3.258万格里夫纳(近4000美元)。
这些文件是潜水员从湖底打捞出来的,另有大量文件已经被烧毁。乌克兰知名调查记者穆斯塔法•纳耶姆将这些文件的照片传到了网上,势必在示威者中激起更多的愤怒。
示威者陆陆续续围观了亚努科维奇的豪华宅邸。据悉,这座乡间别墅连同广阔的庭园,占地约为140公顷,约为摩纳哥一半大小。人工湖,高尔夫球场点缀其间、稀珍动物园、码头和直升机停机坪应有尽有,大量古董名车,停泊在湖上的仿古游艇尽显奢华,游艇餐厅金碧辉煌,水晶吊灯,摆设和餐具精致考究,餐桌摆满洋酒,其中一瓶印有亚努科维奇的肖像。即便是洗手间也是金光闪闪,水龙头和马桶都用上镀金装潢。
“我们很震惊,但是他(亚努科维奇)会为此付出代价的,”示威者莫舒尔说。
乌克兰反对派和警察上周发生激烈冲突,造成70多人遇害。反对派目前已经控制了基辅和国家议会,截至23日,亚努科维奇仍然下落不明。
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