Ukraine PM threatens to quit if corruption court law not passed

Reuters
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman speaks during the annual end-of-year news conference in Kiev, Ukraine December 22, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman threatened to quit on Monday if parliament failed to enable the creation of a special anti-corruption court, which it is due to vote on this coming Thursday. A law to set up a special court is a requirement of Ukraine's $17.5 billion assistance package from the International Monetary Fund. Groysman said Ukraine faced destabilization without it. "I, as prime minister, have made a decision for myself," Groysman said at a briefing. "If this court, fair, independent, will not be created - I will forfeit the authority of prime minister, I will resign." (Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk; writing by Matthias Williams)