15:42 23.02.2018

Criminal cases could be opened due to sabotage by judges in Kurchenko case

2 min read
Criminal cases could be opened due to sabotage by judges in Kurchenko case

Deputy Chief of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yevhen Yenin has said he does not rule out the opening of criminal proceedings due to judges delaying the adoption of a decision on the prosecution in absentia of fugitive Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Kurchenko from the entourage of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

He said live on Ukraine's Channel 5 on Thursday, February 22, that "the most painful issue now is obtaining a permit for Kurchenko's conviction in absentia."

According to Yenin, it is about "outright sabotage" by Ukrainian courts in this issue, since a petition for prosecution in absentia was filed by the prosecutor a year ago.

"Our judges are trying to delay up the adoption of respective procedural decisions... This is [Kyiv's] Pechersky Court... We are now very carefully analyzing the actions and procedural decisions of each of the abovementioned judges, and I cannot rule out that Ukraine's law enforcement agencies will open a criminal case under Article 256 of the Criminal Code, which provides for criminal liability for aiding a criminal organization," he said.

As reported, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko stated earlier that trials in absentia of former high-ranking state leaders who worked under President Viktor Yanukovych, as well as Kurchenko, would begin this year.

On May 30, 2017, the prosecutor's office in Odesa region sent Kurchenko a notice of suspicion of creating a criminal group and money laundering.

The charge against Kurchenko concerns criminal possession of property of state and private organizations (the National Bank of Ukraine, PJSC Ukrnafta, Ukrgazvydobuvannia, PJSC Real Bank, PJSC Brokbusinessbank, etc.) by abuse of powers of officials and official forgery of documents with further laundering of proceeds from crime.

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