12:30 23.06.2020

Cabinet suspends Bozhok from fulfilling duties of deputy FM

2 min read
Cabinet suspends Bozhok from fulfilling duties of deputy FM

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has removed Yehor Bozhok from fulfilling the duties of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"To support the application of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Bozhok Yehor Valeriyovych on his removal from office as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine," government's decree No. 706 of June 19 said.

As reported, Bozhok is a defendant in a case in which the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) handed a suspicion to Ukrainian MP, former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. The Prosecutor General's Office said that according to the investigation, MP Poroshenko is suspected of the fact that being the president, he impelled the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Ukraine (Yehor Bozhok served as the head then) to exceed his authority and official powers in 2018, by issuing an obviously criminal order committing actions that clearly go beyond the rights and powers granted to him, committed in a special period (Part 4 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 41, Part 4 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

On June 19, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yehor Bozhok asked to be suspended from his duties due to the fact that Ukraine's Prosecutor General has decided to extend the investigation in the proceedings on the suspicion of a criminal offense entered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations.

"Due to the fact that the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) decided to extend the investigation in the proceedings on the suspicion of a criminal offense entered into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations, in order to ensure a transparent investigation of the situation that has developed, I ask you to remove me from my duties as Deputy Foreign Minister Of Ukraine," Bozhok said in a statement to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, which he posted on Twitter.

Bozhok also noted that he asked for removal himself, "in order to remove the ministry from the PGO's attention."

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