Traitor and accomplice

The Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv in absentia sentenced the ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych to 13 years in prison

The Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv in absentia sentenced the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych to 13 years in prison in the case of the Stateizer.

The broadcast of the meeting could be watched online: it was conducted by several national television channels and the Yetube channel of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Yanukovych was accused of StateizMen (part 1 of article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), of complication of intentional actions committed in order to change the boundaries of the territory and state border of Ukraine (part 5 of article 27 and part 3 of article 110 of the Criminal Code), as well as in the aiding of the conduct of an aggressive war against Ukraine (part 2 of article 437 of the Criminal Code). Yanukovych himself did not take part in the hearing, the process was in absentia. Without it, the verdict is also read.

Representatives of the defense of the ex-president made a maximum to delay the proceedings along the way. The day before, part of them stated that they were far from Kyiv for official need, therefore they are not able to quit work and rush. “The court did everything so that Viktor Fedorovich could not take part. The court did not even send the summons either to the defenders or Viktor Yanukovych. Viktor Yanukovych is not considered notified, ”lawyer Viktor Serdyuk told the UNN agency. “Therefore, any sentence, taking into account the procedural violations, will be negligible, regardless of how it will be essentially.” But those defenders who came to court deployed a poster with infographics - they say that not Yanukovych, but representatives of the current government, is to blame for the annexation of Crimea.

It is impossible not to recall that the dozen lawyers Yanukovych since the beginning of the hearing in the case of his senior client was “charged” to a public conflict. Either with a brawl blocked access to the hall for the defender appointed by the state, then the debate was torn off, then they threatened to declare to the police for the actions of the Obolonsky Court, then they appealed to international organizations - they say, stop the lawlessness that the Ukrainian femid creates! The Prosecutor General’s prosecutor's office transferred the indictment in the case of state treason in March 2017, since then the process has been going on. The case file amounted to 50 volumes. Prosecutors are asking for a fugitive ex-president of the country of 15 years in prison.

Yanukovych himself received at least 70 summons, but never came to Kyiv to testify. But he gave an interview to Russian television channels: "The results of the process were previously determined, the criminal case is fabricated." The basis of the prosecution was Yanukovych’s letter to the President of Russia Putin of March 1, 2014 with a request to introduce troops into Ukraine.

However, sources in Ukrainian law enforcement agencies made it clear that closer to the “legitimate” denouement (as Yanukovych stubbornly continued to call himself after moving to Moscow) would perform in a video conference with the last word in order to preserve the remnants of a political image. But this did not happen. Lawyers informed about the hospitalization of their client, to which doctors do not allow nervous and overwork after the operation.

Yanukovych's case is unprecedented for Ukrainian justice. Firstly,

Never before, the head of state, legally chosen by popular vote, was accused of committing such serious crimes, and most importantly, was not judged, albeit in absentia.

Secondly, during the current process, the highest officials who came to power in 2014 were questioned as witnesses, after the Maidan and extraordinary elections, President Petro Poroshenko, the chairman of the Rada Andrei Parubiy, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the ex-prime minister Arseny Yatsenyuk, the Minister of the Interior Arsen Avakov, the ex-leaders of the SBU Valentin Nalvaichenko. It is known that on the most tragic days of the revolution of dignity, they have repeatedly entered into negotiations with Yanukovych, trying to prevent possible bloodshed. In total, more than a hundred people gave testimony.

Lawyers explain: the accusatory, albeit in absentia, the verdict provides an opportunity for the arrest of Viktor Yanukovych for the execution of punishment either in Ukraine, where he is unlikely to want to come of his own free will, or in any other country with which official Kyiv has mutual contractual obligations on extradition. The Prosecutor General’s Office can contact Interpol, which, however, is not at all a guarantee of Russia's issuance of Yanukovych, sentenced by the court. After all, the failures already sounded: "The ex-president of Ukraine is pursued for political reasons."

It cannot be ruled out that the prosecution will not enter into force at all, even though the Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko is confident in the opposite. Lawyers warned in advance that they would certainly appeal the insignificant, in their opinion, decision in the appeal and cassation instances, will reach international courts, but the interests of their client were defended. They believe that Yuri Lutsenko presses on judges and leads the process.

In the evening it became known that the court sentenced Yanukovych to 13 years in prison in absentia.