烏克蘭總統豪宅花費曝光

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 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.烏克蘭總統亞努科維奇已於21日晚離開首都基輔，示威者隨即佔據了其豪華住所。據美國媒體2月23日報道，在亞努科維奇宅邸找到的文件顯示，他的日常開銷非常奢侈。

文件記錄包括：1200萬美元的現金收據；1000萬美元的發票；“騎士大廳”的窗簾花了8萬歐元（約11萬美元）；110萬歐元的各種花木；房間的木質裝飾品花了230萬美元；一尊“野豬”雕像花了11.5萬美元；投標中的“賄賂”花了3.258萬格里夫納（近4000美元）。

這些文件是潛水員從湖底打撈出來的，另有大量文件已經被燒燬。烏克蘭知名調查記者穆斯塔法•納耶姆將這些文件的照片傳到了網上，勢必在示威者中激起更多的憤怒。

示威者陸陸續續圍觀了亞努科維奇的豪華宅邸。據悉，這座鄉間別墅連同廣闊的庭園，佔地約爲140公頃，約爲摩納哥一半大小。人工湖，高爾夫球場點綴其間、稀珍動物園、碼頭和直升機停機坪應有盡有，大量古董名車，停泊在湖上的仿古遊艇盡顯奢華，遊艇餐廳金碧輝煌，水晶吊燈，擺設和餐具精緻考究，餐桌擺滿洋酒，其中一瓶印有亞努科維奇的肖像。即便是洗手間也是金光閃閃，水龍頭和馬桶都用上鍍金裝潢。

“我們很震驚，但是他（亞努科維奇）會爲此付出代價的，”示威者莫舒爾說。

烏克蘭反對派和警察上週發生激烈衝突，造成70多人遇害。反對派目前已經控制了基輔和國家議會，截至23日，亞努科維奇仍然下落不明。