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Yet another case against Poroshenko submitted to Ukraine’s Bureau of Investigation

The statement contains charges of an attempt to usurp judicial authority in Ukraine

KIEV, May 27. /TASS/. A statement containing charges of an attempt to usurp judicial authority in Ukraine has been referred to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), lawyer Andrei Portnov, who under President Viktor Yanukovich held the position of deputy chief of his staff, said on Monday.

"Dear friends, while investigative actions are being conducted against Poroshenko under three criminal proceedings on high treason, money laundry, office embezzlement and tax evasion, we filed a fourth statement today accusing Poroshenko of attempting to usurp judicial authority," he said in his telegram-channel.

Apart from that, he said he has dozens of such statements but plans to focus in the next few weeks on enhancing "information pressure on law enforcement agencies and drawing motions, petitions and other procedural documents under the four registered proceedings."

Earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe on the basis of Portnov’s statement containing charges Poroshenko was responsible for high treason in connection with the Kerch Strait incident. A special anti-corruption group opened a criminal case against the former president and a group of senior official over abuse of office. The statement says that Poroshenko coordinated distribution of key posts in the management bodies and the observer council of Ukraine’s electric power utility Tsentrenergo with the aim of embezzling the funds of this company in which the state held the controlling stake.

The SBI also registered a criminal case and launched an investigation into Poroshenko’s legalization of criminal incomes in offshore manipulations $300 million worth in a deal to sell a Poroshenko-owned shipyard in Kiev.

On May 24, Portnov said he had registered a statement containing charges of money laundering and legalizing assets in the process of acquisition of Ukraine’s television channel Pryamoi.