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Ukrainian ex-president’s new lawyer seeks personal meeting with Yanukovich

Ukraine’s ex-president Viktor Yanukovych has refused to take part in the trial against him on charges of high treason underway in Kiev

KIEV, November 22. /TASS/. Igor Lyashenko, a new state-appointed Ukrainian lawyer defending interests of the country’s ex-president Viktor Yanukovich in the high treason case, said on Tuesday he had requested his client to meet in person or communicate in any other possible format.

"I sent letters requesting to meet or negotiate in any other possible format to all addresses of his [Yanukovich] temporary residence, earlier established by pre-trial investigation bodies, both in Ukraine and the Russian Federation," Lyashenko was quoted as saying by Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency.

"To date, there has been no confirmation that this correspondence was received," the lawyer said, adding that he filed additional requests in order to ensure that the constitutional right to defend in court, to communicate with a lawyer and to coordinate positions with the defense was not violated.

On July 6, Ukraine’s ex-president Viktor Yanukovych refused to take part in the trial against him on charges of high treason underway in Kiev, and called off his defense attorneys. He said all possible principles and norms of law have been violated, legal procedures have been completely ignored and the outcome of the trial has already been "determined in advance."

Lyashenko became the third state-appointed lawyer for Yanukovych during the trial. One of his predecessors resigned and the other was dismissed by the judge for "poor qualification."

The hearings were adjourned until December 4 to give the new state-appointed lawyer time to familiarize himself with the materials of the case.

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