NSDC sanctions decision against Poroshenko altered on presidential website due to errors – lawyer
The National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision imposing sanctions on Ukrainian MP and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko was falsified, according to lawyer Ilya Novikov.
Novikov argued on February 14 that an incorrect tax identification number in the document renders the sanctions legally invalid. However, the document was edited a day after the presidential decree was issued, which he claims is a serious legal violation. The date and time of the document's modification, which is part of the official legislative record, are visible in its digital properties on the presidential website.
"The NSDC sanctions decision was falsified on the official website of the President of Ukraine," Novikov stated at a press briefing on Friday.
The document published on February 13 contained three significant errors, which Novikov called technical but crucial. "Go to the president's website and download the file. The creation date is February 14, 2025, at 00:18. We know for certain that the NSDC did not convene on February 13 for an additional meeting to correct technical or non-technical errors in the original decision. Therefore, we confidently assert that we are witnessing a falsification in real time," he claimed.
Novikov announced plans to file a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Ukraine to challenge the sanctions.
He also disclosed that, according to his information, the proposal for sanctions against Poroshenko did not come from the Security Service of Ukraine but rather from the Cabinet of Ministers. "The plan was to announce the sanctions in a single package that included Poroshenko, [Ihor] Kolomoisky, [Viktor] Medvedchuk, [Kostiantyn] Zhevaho, and [Hennadiy] Boholiubov. However, there was no specific evidence justifying sanctions against Poroshenko for terrorism-related activities, which is the sole legal basis for imposing sanctions on a Ukrainian citizen. The Security Service did not confirm this, nor did other law enforcement agencies. According to our information – which we expect to verify quickly – the government pressured Ukraine's Financial Monitoring Service, which lacks the authority to initiate sanctions but ultimately did so through the Cabinet of Ministers," Novikov said.