Ex-Ukrainian parliamentarian Markov to stay under house arrest while awaiting decision on extradition from Italy
A Genoa court has ruled to place former Ukrainian parliamentarian and leader of the Rodina (Motherland) party Ihor Markov, who was earlier taken into custody in Italy, under house arrest with an electronic tagging device, thus granting the defense team's request, says Andriy Lozovy, a Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada member of the Radical Party.
"But this will have no effect on the consideration of the primary issue, that is, Markov's extradition to Ukraine, which is a matter of honor for our state. A lot depends on how qualitatively and quickly Ukraine provides the Italian side with all the necessary documents," Lozovy said on Facebook on Friday.
The date for the next court hearing to decide on Markov's extradition to Ukraine has not yet been set, he said.
The Ukrainian Consulate General in Milan confirmed this information.
"Ihor Markov has been placed under house arrest. Control over him is being ensured using a mandatory bracelet on his ankle," a Consulate General source told Interfax.
It was reported on August 12 that Markov had been detained in Italy. A Genoa court ruled on August 14 to leave Markov in custody, and his defense chose to appeal the ruling.
The Prymorsky District Court in Odesa ruled on August 13 to detain Markov in order to bring him to court to apply a pretrial restrictive measure to him in keeping with Ukrainian Criminal Code Article 296 Part 4, pending an investigation into a 2007 fight between members of the Svoboda party and a group of individuals, among them Markov.
Ukrainian First Justice Minister Natalya Sevostyanova said on August 14 that the Ukrainian Justice Ministry had forwarded a package of documents to Italy to secure Markov's extradition. "We had received an address regarding his extradition, and an Odesa court handling this case ruled to apply for extradition as a means of legal assistance. The Justice Ministry has already forwarded this package of documents to Italy. We are waiting for a reply," Sevostyanova said.
Markov spoke at a press conference in Moscow in early August 2015 as a member of the Committee for the Salvation of Ukraine led by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.
