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Kiev wants former Ukraine PM Azarov extradited from Russia

Mykola Azarov is accused of abuse of office entailing grave consequences

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov ITAR-TASS/Valeriy Sharifulin

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov

© ITAR-TASS/Valeriy Sharifulin

KIEV, August 6. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office is preparing documents for the extradition of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov from Russia, chief of special investigations at the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General’s Office Sergey Gorbaryuk told a press briefing on Thursday.

"We are currently preparing the documents for Azarov’s extradition from Russia," Gorbatryuk said.

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Mykola Azarov served as Ukraine’s Prime Minister from March 11, 2010, to January 28, 2014. After the Euromaidan events last February he left the country. On January 12, 2015, Azarov was put on the Interpol wanted list.

On February 20, the Prosecutor-General’s Office brought charges against Azarov under Part 2 Article 364 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (abuse of office entailing grave consequences). The Prosecutor-General’s Office noted that Nikolay Azarov during his tenure as Prime Minister illegally stopped in the autumn of 2012 the inspection of the interagency group, which found significant violations in the work of the Antonov state-owned enterprise. The money received as a result of the commercial use of the Ruslan aircraft remained on the accounts of two foreign companies and a representative of this state-run enterprise and was used by them at their sole discretion.

According to the Prosecutor-General’s Office, these actions inflicted damage on the state estimated at $1.7 million. Upon a motion from the prosecutor’s office, a Ukrainian court issued a warrant for the arrest of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

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