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Kiev court confirms readiness to question Yanukovich via video-link

In January 2015, Interpol placed former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on an international wanted list as requested by Ukraine

KIEV, November 22. /TASS/. Kiev’s Svyatoshinsky district court has confirmed its readiness to question former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich in a court video link-up as a witness in the Maidan case, the judge presiding over the case said on Tuesday.

"The court informs that confirmation has been received and the system for a video link-up was tested yesterday," Sergey Dyachuk said.

The regional court in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don notified the Kiev district court on November 16 of its readiness for a video link-up on November 25 for Yanukovich to give evidence in the investigation into February 2014 protests on Kiev’s central Maidan Square.

Yanukovich and his defense have been seeking a video link-up questioning for more than a year. The former Ukrainian president has filed notices at courts, demanding that he be examined in all cases instituted in Ukraine in which he is involved.

However, his lawyer Vitaly Serdyuk told Tass earlier that the Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office was impeding this, fearing to get unwanted data during the questioning. Later, however, the court compelled the investigation to question Yanukovich.

In January 2015, Interpol placed Yanukovich on an international wanted list as requested by Ukraine. He is accused of supposedly usurping power, forming an organized criminal network, abetting the shooting of Maidan activists, abuse of power as well as embezzlement.