Jump to full article: Kyiv Post (ua), 2008-10-29
Author: Yuliya Popova, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
Intro: Ukrainian Finance Minister Victor Pynzenyk can touch the clouds without opening the windows on the eighth floor of his government office.
He sits in his own cloud of dense cigarette smoke while drafting anti-crisis plans for the nation.
One of the best economists in Ukraine, he is also one of the most notorious chain smokers.
“During the five minutes that I was there, he had five cigarettes,” said parliamentarian Oleh Lyashko from Yulia Tymoshenko’s party, describing the minister’s vice.
Public health advocates blame Pynzenyk for some of the cheapest cigarettes and, consequently, one of the highest smoking rates in the world by resisting meaningful tax hikes on the deadly products. . . .
Lawmakers went further and banned cigarettes from workplaces and government buildings altogether.
But many, including Pynzenyk, continue to smoke inside.
Parliament and other government toilets stink of tobacco fumes.
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