KYIV -- Yulia Tymoshenko didn't have much of an income in 2014.
The former Ukrainian prime minister spent part of the year in prison, part of it rehabilitating in the hospital, and much of it in back-to-back campaigns for president and parliament.
But nevertheless, she managed to buy a luxury car, according to her tax declaration. And that’s despite having no savings at all.
Tymoshenko’s mysterious finances are by no means unique among Ukrainian politicians. As they begin to make their 2014 income declarations public -- something that they are legally obliged to do every April -- it became painfully obvious that such financial discrepancies are commonplace.
And they cross party affiliation, age, and background.
The gaps between officials' incomes and their assets are a painful reminder of the deep-rooted corruption and insider deals that continue to plague Ukrainian politics, despite being the main cause of two revolutions.
Tymoshenko declared that last year her family purchased a Mercedes Benz GL-350, worth about $78,000, in Ukraine.
Complete story at - Champagne Tastes On Beer Incomes: Tax Declarations In Ukraine Suggest Enduring Corruption
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