Alexander Zinchenko, the former secretary of state, tendered his resignation on Saturday, September 3. Yushchenko signed the official letter later that day.
Zinchenko said his resignation was caused by what he described as the illegal conduct of Petr Poroshenko, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Olexander Tretyakov, the first presidential aide, and Mykola Martynenko, the Head of the Our Ukraine parliamentary faction.
Zinchenko told a news conference in Kiev on Monday that these people cynically and systematically abused their offices.
The former secretary of state accused Poroshenko of bringing judicial and law-enforcement agencies under the control of the Security and Defense Council, and of patronizing individual businessmen.
In addition, Zinchenko said Poroshenko and Tretyakov had taken over access to President Yushchenko and were blocking information flows coming from the president's secretariat.
Zinchenko said he would only continue as part of the president's team if Poroshenko and Tretyakov were dismissed.
