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Investigators ask to extend pre-trial investigation into Semochko appointment case until October 10 – Poroshenko's lawyer

KYIV. July 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The investigators have sent to Kyiv's Pechersky District Court a document with the request to extend the pre-trail investigation into the case on the appointment of Serhiy Semochko as First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine until October 10, Illia Novikov, a lawyer of fifth President of Ukraine, MP Petro Poroshenko, said.

"Yesterday they informed us that the investigators plan to continue investigating into the case. A document with the investigators' request to extend the pre-trial investigation into the case on Semochko's appointment until October 10, which is three more months, has been sent to Pechersky Court as they need to carry out the investigative procedures stipulated in the attached list," Novikov said during a press conference hosted by the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency on Thursday.

According to the lawyer, the investigators asked to fulfill the ruling of Pechersky District Court on access to documents and examine the data storage device. They also asked the court to approve a decision on temporary access to data of the Accounting Chamber, establish the list of persons who may have information about the circumstances of Semochko's appointment and actions of former Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Yehor Bozhko related to it, question Poroshenko, carry out a simultaneous questioning of Poroshenko and Bozhko, obtain digital forensics data, declassify information, and other procedures.

"This takes hours, days and months – and they are asking for three months – and this costs money. In fact, the SBI [State Bureau of Investigations] is asking Pechersky Court to allow them spending around UAH 15 million on the further investigation into the case on the appointment of Semochko by Poroshenko. I should recall that there is in fact no dispute about facts in this case: it is about the signature of a decree by the president," he said.

Novikov said that the defense has submitted to court a copy of the Accounting Chamber's response "which cut the ground from under the investigators' feet."

"However, the SBI still lacks time and money, it is about continuing the investigation into this case and issuing videos saying that Poroshenko does not come to them or comes in a wrong way. They want at least UAH 15 million, I mean if they continue working in the same investigatory groups with the same scheduled, and nothing will prevent them from acting on even a larger scale," Novikov said.

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