Exclusive: A top problem of Ukraine has been
corruption and cronyism, so it may raise eyebrows that new Finance
Minister Natalie Jaresko, an ex-U.S. diplomat and newly minted Ukrainian
citizen, was involved in insider dealings while managing a $150 million
U.S. AID-backed investment fund, writes Robert Parry.
By Robert Parry
Ukraine’s new Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, a former U.S. State
Department officer who was granted Ukrainian citizenship only this week,
headed a U.S. government-funded investment project for Ukraine that
involved substantial insider dealings, including $1 million-plus fees to
a management company that she also controlled.
Jaresko served as president and chief executive officer of Western
NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), which was created by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (U.S. AID) with $150 million to spur business
activity in Ukraine. She also was cofounder and managing partner of
Horizon Capital which managed WNISEF’s investments at a rate of 2 to 2.5
percent of committed capital, fees exceeding $1 million in recent
years, according to WNISEF’s 2012 annual report.
Ukraine’s new Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko.
