SBI appeals to court regarding time limit for Poroshenko's familiarization with ‘coal case’
The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has appealed to the court to limit the time frame for familiarization with the "coal case" to the defendants in the proceedings - the leader of the European Solidarity party, Petro Poroshenko, ex-MP Viktor Medvedchuk and the defense side.
"The SBI asks the court to limit the time frame for reviewing the case to the fifth President of Ukraine, an incumbent member of Ukrainian parliament, whom the Bureau suspects of committing high treason and facilitating the activities of terrorist organizations," the SBI said on the Telegram channel on Thursday.
In particular, according to the Bureau, on Thursday SBI investigators filed a motion with the Pechersky district court of Kyiv to set a deadline for the suspects, current and former MPs, a top manager of the coal sector, as well as their defenders to familiarize themselves with the materials of the pretrial investigation.
The SBI completed the investigation of criminal proceedings on the organization of a criminal scheme for the supply of coal from the temporarily occupied territories and assistance to the terrorist organizations "LPR" and "DPR" by a group of Ukrainian citizens totalling about UAH 1.5 billion on September 2, 2022.
"At the same time, the case materials were handed over to the defense and the suspects for review. However, the suspects, in particular the current MP, abuse their procedural rights and do not come to get acquainted with the materials of the proceedings," the Bureau notes.
The SBI recalls that the fifth President of Ukraine is suspected of acting by prior agreement with a group of individuals, in particular among representatives of the top leadership of the Russian Federation, contributed to the activities of terrorist organizations "LPR" and "DPR."
In September-November 2021, suspicion was reported in these proceedings to another of the former MPs and the Minister of Energy.
They are suspected of buying coal with public funds in ORDLO. According to the investigation, by their actions, the defendants in the proceedings have made the energy sector of Ukraine dependent on the Russian Federation and terrorist organizations. This, in turn, undermined the economic security of the state in 2014-2015, deprived it of opportunities to diversify sources of energy supplies, and also provided the Russian Federation with broader opportunities to further interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs and conduct subversive activities against it.
The proceedings were conducted under Parts 1 and 3 of Articles 258-5 (financing of terrorism), Part 1 of Article 111 (high treason) and Part 1 of Article 258-3 (assistance to the activities of a terrorist organization) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The sanctions of the above mentioned articles provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 15 years with or without confiscation of property.