Deputy Prosecutor of Vinnytsia region Roman Shubin, who was in charge of the cases on the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze and the poisoning of presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko, has been killed in a car accident, a newspaper has reported.

Shubin oversaw the cases while holding the position of senior investigator for particularly important cases at the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO), reads an article in the Segodnya (Today) daily newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the car driven by Shubin, 57, crashed into a Kamaz truck near Vinnytsia. The prosecutor was killed instantly, reads the article.

Several years ago, Shubin asked to be transferred to a position that foresaw less work, according to the newspaper. In recent years he had worked as deputy prosecutor in Vinnytsia region, although his family lived in Kyiv.

Last Friday, on September 21, Shubin attended a hearing at the PGO.

According to a preliminary investigation, he had a heart attack while driving the car, the Segodnya said.

Some of Shubin's colleagues doubt that the car crash was accidental, reads the article.