Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, suspected of "
high treason
" in a case of buying coal from pro-Russian separatists, did not appear on Thursday December 23 for questioning as part of an investigation.
To read also Poroshenko: "We need a united front with the West"
Petro Poroshenko, who is currently in Poland and plans to return to Ukraine in January, "
did not come
" to this interrogation "
because he was not obliged
" to do so, his lawyer told AFP. Ilia Novikov. The request of the Ukrainian Bureau of Investigation (DBR), responsible for investigating senior officials, "
has not been drawn up in accordance with the law and is not binding,
" he said.
Petro Poroshenko, 56, head of state between 2014 and 2019 and currently a deputy, has already been cited as a suspect in several corruption investigations, prosecutions deemed political by his relatives.
On Monday, authorities announced that he was now suspected of "
high treason
" for facilitating the purchase of around 48 million euros of coal, in 2014 and 2015, from Ukrainian companies located in separatist zones at war. against Kiev.
Read alsoUkraine: ex-President Poroshenko cited in a criminal investigation
Defeated in the 2019 presidential election by Volodymyr Zelensky, Petro Poroshenko said in a video Tuesday that these new lawsuits were orchestrated by his successor and "
linked to the fall in his popularity
".
His lawyer Ilia Novikov considers it illogical that the investigators accuse Petro Poroshenko of "
being part of a plot to financially support
" the rebels, while he was at the time "
in command of the military operation
" against these same separatists.
The American, British and Canadian embassies have indicated that they are "
following closely
" the prosecution of Petro Poroshenko.
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