Disgraced former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on August 2 submitted a statement to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) and the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on bringing judges from Kyiv’s Obolonsky District Court Vladyslav Deviatko, Maksym Titov and Kostiantyn Vasalatiy to justice pursuant to Articles 374 and 375 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (rendering deliberately false decisions).
“Still at the pretrial stage of the investigation we have numerous unjust decisions taken by the PGO. Now violations are being made by Obolonsky District Court, which under PGO pressure is obliged to issue unjust decisions against our client,” Yanukovych’s lawyer from the Aver Lex lawfirm Vitaliy Serdiuk said.
Serdiuk said the court agreed to hear a case in which there is no defendant, accuser and for which the statute of limitations has run out.
“Secondly, the court has failed to ensure Yanukovych’s participation in the trial pursuant to rules of the European convention of joint legal assistance in criminal cases and chapter 43 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine. Thirdly, the court ruled in favor of an in absentia procedure without considering evidence provided by Yanukovych and his lawyers. And finally, the court completely ignored the European convention on defending the rights and basic liberties of individuals in the part of ensuring access to justice,” Serdiuk said.
Yanukovych’s lawyer said the court has made decisions under pressure, adding that in April 2017 the automated system for allocating judges to cases was interfered with.
Obolonsky District Court must continue hearing the case in which Yanukovych is charged of state treason. At the previous hearing the court directed attorney Vitaliy Meshechek to acquaint Yanukovych with details of the case against him.
