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Ukraine’s ex-president refuses to come for interrogation due to threats to life — lawyer

At the same time, according to the lawyer, Viktor Yanukovych is willing to participate in an interrogation remotely — by a video conference

Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych ITAR-TASS/Aleksei Nikolskiy

Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych

© ITAR-TASS/Aleksei Nikolskiy

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Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office refuses to accept Yanukovych’s testimony by video

KIEV, August 7. /TASS/. Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych will not come to Kiev for an interrogation due on August 11, the ex-president’s lawyer Vitaly Serdyuk told the Ukrainian Hromadske TV on Friday.

The lawyer named good reasons why the former president would not come and referred to a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

"Yanukovych will not be present at the interrogation due to threats to his life and health," he said.

At the same time, the lawyer said his client is willing to participate in an interrogation remotely — by a video conference.

"We have already notified the Prosecutor General’s Office [Yanukovych] is ready to testify from his location," the lawyer said.

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On August 6, Ukraine’s official edition of central authorities Uryadovy Kuryer (Governmental Courier) published a summons issued by the Prosecutor General’s Office, addressed to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych. It read that the ex-president should come on August 11 by 11a.m. to the Prosecutor General’s Office to head of department, Yuri Beschastny, for investigative and procedural actions in criminal proceedings.

On July 27, court in Kiev’s Pechersky district permitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct investigation in absentia against Viktor Yanukovich. The case on usurpation of power against the former president was opened on April 8, 2015. The Prosecutor General’s Office also opened a criminal case against him on the illegal ownership of the state property — real estate complexes PuschaVoditsa and Mezhigorye.

On June 17, the parliament’s newspaper Golos Ukraini (Voice of Ukraine) published a law "On deprivation of V. Yanukovych of the title of Ukraine’s president."

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych

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