Russian justice ministry's statement on Savchenko indicates verdict has already been drafted
The statement of the Russian Justice Ministry that Ukrainian pilot and MP Nadia Savchenko might be returned to Ukraine after a Russian court passes down a sentence signifies that the court has already come to a verdict, Justice Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Petrenko has said.
"The Russian Justice Ministry has one again confirmed that the Russian court system and judges are corrupt. Such a statement before passing a judgment regarding Savchenko is evidence of one thing – that the verdict has already been drafted, and it definitely is guilty," he said at a briefing in Kyiv.
Petrenko said that this kind of statement is "far from the essence of justice".
"They should feel shame at allowing such statements before the court passes its verdict," he said.
He added that the Ukrainian authorities will make every effort to return Savchenko to Ukraine as she has become 'a hostage of the Russian regime.'
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement, Savchenko could only be transferred to Ukraine if the country accepts the verdict of the Russian court and gives guarantees to uphold the sentence against her.