Poroshenko allow absentia to judge Yanukovych
He signed a law allowing to start the examination of 190 criminal cases in absentia.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed a law allowing absentia to judge former President Viktor Yanukovych and his associates. Information about this was posted on Tuesday, April 11, on the official website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
“Returned with the signature of the President,” — said in the caption under the law.
According to UNIAN, the law is called “On amendments to the criminal procedure code of Ukraine (concerning improvement of the mechanisms ensuring the tasks of criminal proceedings) (No. 5610)”. The document was twice sent back for revision before March 9, it was approved by the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada in the first reading, and on March 16 in the second.
Prior to that, he Poroshenko urged MPs to support the bill, pointing out the importance “that the court’s decision, Yanukovych was stripped of his title of President, as the court determines guilt, and the Parliament gives a political assessment”, notes TASS.
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has previously noted that the entry into force of the new edition of this bill will begin trials for the examination of 190 criminal proceedings in absentia, including cases against Yanukovych and 23 Russian generals. The previous version of the law on absentia conviction, in his words, gave her the chance to stop and tighten things.
Protection of Yanukovych, in turn, believes that the document speaks of selective justice in Ukraine and the violation of articles 6 (protects the right to a trial) and 14 (prohibits discrimination) of the Convention on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Earlier on Tuesday it became known that the Obolonskiy district court of Kiev will consider the case against Viktor Yanukovych of treason on 4 may. He handed to the suspect in two articles of the Criminal code, article 110, 111 of the Criminal code of Ukraine (high treason and violation of territorial integrity of the state), reminds “Interfax”. The protection of the ex-President of Ukraine insists that the suspicion of treason is still not handed to him properly, in this regard, the transfer of the case to the court is illegal.