KIEV: Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said Wednesday he had submitted to parliament a motion for the dismissal of his finance minister, who is respected internationally for his battle to clean up the country's fiscal and customs services.
Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk, a respected reformer backed by the International Monetary Fund, has ruffled many feathers in the Ukrainian government with his anti-corruption drive.
In the latest scandal to rock the country's government, Groysman accused the 42-year-old finance minister of distributing "distorted information among our international partners."
"I ask lawmakers to support my motion," Groysman wrote on Facebook.
"Taking into account the challenges we face the issue of replacing the head of the finance ministry should be decided immediately."
The sacking of the finance minister -- which needs to be approved by Ukraine's parliament -- would raise concern among the country's donors including the IMF.
Ukrainian media reported last week that Danylyuk wrote a letter to the Group of Seven nations, complaining that the government was trying to hamper his efforts to push through fiscal and other reforms and accusing officials of "corruption (and) vested interests."
- 'Colossal pressure' -
Danylyuk also said Groysman blocked his choice of deputy minister in charge of tax policy.
"I reached the limit in looking for compromises," the minister said in the letter, a copy of which was published by Ukrainian website Ekonomichna Pravda.
Writing on Facebook on Wednesday, Danylyuk said he "had faced colossal pressure over the past year" and accused the authorities of corruption.
"I was given a choice -- either leave or become an accomplice," he said.
"I will not sell out my country," he said, adding he wanted to address lawmakers in parliament.
Global lenders have provided Ukraine -- which is locked in a conflict with Russian-backed rebels -- with billions of dollars of financing to allow its stricken economy to stay afloat.
Corruption was among top reasons that prompted Ukrainians to take to the streets and oust a Kremlin-backed regime in 2014 but it remains a major problem despite President Petro Poroshenko's promises to tackle it.
Parliament on Thursday is expected to vote on the creation of a new anti-corruption court, a key condition for the IMF to distribute more aid to Ukraine.
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