Obolonsky court on March 20 to hear statements of defenders in Yanukovych high treason case
Kyiv's Obolonsky district court on March 20, 2019 is to hear statements of defending lawyers of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych regarding correction of handwriting and explanations regarding the verdict in the high treason case.
The press service of the court reported that the defenders ask to remove the reference to the circumstance that mitigates punishment for Yanukovych in the statements of reasons of the verdict: "committing crimes under the influence of dependence on representatives of authorities of the Russian Federation."
The lawyers also asked to remove the reference to video recording of an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin from the verdict. In this interview Putin three times stressed that he has the official address of "legitimate president Viktor Yanukovych" on the use of Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine, which he (Putin) considers as enough legal ground for using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine from the point of view of international law.
On March 6, the Kyiv's court of appeals returned the verdict in the Yanukovych's high treason case with the appeal complaints of his lawyers to the Obolonsky district court of Kyiv to hear petitions to correct handwriting and clarify the sentence. This ruling is not appealable.
On February 25, the deadline for filing appeals against the verdict of Yanukovych in the case of high treason expired. On February 26, the Obolonsky district court of Kyiv announced that on March 1, it would send all complaints to the court of appeal. On March 1, the Kyiv's Court Of Appeals informed that it had determined the composition of the jury for hearing the appeals.
On January 24, 2019, the Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv sentenced Yanukovych to 13 years of imprisonment after finding him guilty of treason and abetting Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.
The court simultaneously found him not guilty of abetting encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, resulting in deaths or other grave consequences.