Poroshenko's Lawyers Slam Prosecutor General For New Charges Against Former President

Poroshenko's Lawyers Slam Prosecutor General for New Charges Against Former President

The case opened by Ukraine's prosecutor general against former President Petro Poroshenko over illegal actions he may have done while in office is a deliberate act of sabotage and persecution and should be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and immediately closed, Poroshenko's lawyers said on Wednesday

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) The case opened by Ukraine's prosecutor general against former President Petro Poroshenko over illegal actions he may have done while in office is a deliberate act of sabotage and persecution and should be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and immediately closed, Poroshenko's lawyers said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the office of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova said that she had opened the case against Poroshenko over "possible unlawful acts, committed by the former president of Ukraine and other individuals when issuing presidential decrees on appointment of Supreme Court judges." According to the prosecutor, the decrees were unconstitutional and violated laws on the judiciary -- the Supreme Court justices have said they had been unlawfully deprived of their right to work and receive a salary.

Lawyer Ilya Novikov, commenting on the situation to Pryamiy tv channel, said that the case was an attempt to discredit the Supreme Court itself both domestically and internationally and establish control over judges. According to Novikov, the case also constitutes an act of "political persecution."

Another lawyer, Igor Golovan, stated that the prosecutor general broke the law by referring the case against Poroshenko to the National Bureau of Investigation, which she used to be in charge of. In his opinion, the case should be examined by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

"We have already appealed to the office of the prosecutor general with a request to stop violating the law and refer this registered case to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, as it should be in accordance with the law. We are convinced that this case should be closed there immediately," the lawyer told the TV channel.

According to the State Bureau of Investigations, it is working on over 13 criminal cases against Poroshenko concerning illegal activities he may have committed while in office.