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U.S., U.K. have not responded to queries: SAPO on halt to pretrial Okhendovsky case investigation

Ukraine's Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) has expressed its distaste for comments made by National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) chief Artem Sytnyk to media about "insisting" on finalizing its pretrial case involving Central Election Commission Chairman Mykhailo Okhendovsky.

"Such a statement by an investigative body confuses the public and is designed to politicize the criminal process. It can be construed as an attempt to exert public pressure on prosecutors with the aim of adopting dubious decisions," SAPO said in a written statement published to its website on Tuesday.

SAPO said pursuant to Article 290 of Ukraine's Procedural Code the only official authorized to determine whether a case is ready to go to trial is the prosecutor in charge of the case.

SAPO said legal assistance was requested from Germany, Austria, France, Britain, Poland and the United States.

"We have received responses from four of the countries, including Germany and France, which declined to provide information because there is no evidence a crime was committed. We have also received materials from Austria, but no evidence that CEC Chairman Okhendovsky was involved in criminal acts," SAPO said, adding that the United States and United Kingdom have not responded.

Earlier, Sytnyk said in an interview that his bureau would demand CEC Chairman Okhendovsky be indicted. Okhendovsky is also involved in the so-called "Black ledger" case involving payments under disgraced ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions.

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