Mykhailo Pozhyvanov, former head of the State Committee of Ukraine’s Government Material Reserve, has said he will apply for political asylum in the west if Ukrainian authorities put him on the wanted list.
“If Interpol starts looking for me, I will have no other choice but to apply for political asylum. I do not want to return to a country without any real court system,” Pozhyvanov told the Ukrainska Pravda website. He added that he would be willing to meet with Ukrainian officials investigating accusations made against him.
The Prosecutor General’s Office on Jan. 31 put out an arrest warrant for Pozhyvanov, alleging he embezzled more than $3 million (Hr. 35 million).
Former Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn was granted political asylum by the Czech Republic on Jan. 13.
Read the Ukrainian-language Ukrainska Pravda article about Pozhyvanov here.
