PGO to appeal against measure of restraint for Medvedchuk, who is suspected of treason, aiding terrorists

KYIV. Oct 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The prosecutor’s office will appeal against the measure of restraint in the form of a round-the-clock house arrest of MP Viktor Medvedchuk, who is suspected of treason and aiding terrorists, the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General said.

"Based on the results of consideration of the petition of the prosecutor of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Pechersk District Court confirmed the validity of suspicion of the MP of Ukraine of high treason and assistance to the activities of terrorist organizations by a group of persons committed by prior conspiracy to (Part 2 of Article 28 Part 1 of Article 111 and Part 2 of Article 28, part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). However, the court chose a preventive measure for the suspect in the form of round-the-clock house arrest," the message says.

In the opinion of the prosecutors, in the given circumstances, such a preventive measure is insufficient and will not ensure the proper behavior of the person. In this regard, prosecutors will appeal it and insist on detention with the alternative of paying a bail of UAH 1 billion.

Reportedly, the prosecutors intend to prove that such a measure is necessary, given the existing risks of the suspect’s possible flee, as well as his connections with representatives of the Russian Federation and terrorist organizations. Now in the criminal proceedings all the persons of accomplices have not been identified, all the witnesses have not been questioned, and some of them did not provide reliable and complete testimony due to fears of the influence of the suspect and his accomplices on them. In addition, the severity of the incriminated actions and the MP’s suspicion of committing an especially grave crime in another criminal proceeding were not taken into account.

Earlier it was reported that on October 8, the of the Prosecutor General’s Office presented Medvedchuk with a new suspicion of high treason and aiding the activities of a terrorist organization in connection with his involvement in the illegal supply of coal from the occupied territory in late 2014 – early 2015.

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova said that the prosecutor’s office, as part of the new suspicion presented, will ask the court to elect Medvedchuk a measure of restraint in the form of arrest with an alternative bail of UAH 1 billion.

On May 11, Medvedchuk was notified of suspicion of treason and attempted plunder of national resources in the Russian-occupied Crimea.

According to Prosecutor General Venediktova, the suspicion concerns three episodes of illegal activity and cooperation with the aggressor country. According to the investigation, in 2015, Medvedchuk entered into a preliminary conspiracy with an official of the Russian government to extract minerals on the shelf of the Black Sea (the sea economic zone of Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation). Another episode of criminal proceedings concerns the transfer of information containing state secrets to the special services of the Russian Federation. The third episode of illegal activity is the conduct of subversive activities against Ukraine, in particular in context of the development of the anti-Ukrainian project "Luch".

On May 12, Medvedchuk arrived at the of the Prosecutor General’s Office, got acquainted with a copy of the suspicion presented to him and said that he did not intend to hide from the investigation, and the suspicions were politically motivated.

The court chose a measure of restraint for him in the form of house arrest, the appeal court upheld it. On September 2, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv extended the measure of restraint in the form of round-the-clock house arrest until October 31.