Dmytro Loban prosecuting in the case against former Ukrainian interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko has said he sees no reason to grant the defense appeal against the verdict issued by the Pechersky district court.
On May 16, Loban told the Appellate Court in Kyiv that the lower court’s conclusions match the facts, "there were no significant violation of the Penal Code provisions and the imposed penalty is consistent with the degree of gravity and the convicts’ personalities."
"From my point of view, the defense failed to provide the facts which could be a ground for overturning the verdict," said the state prosecutor, adding that he thus saw no reason for overturning the verdict against Lutsenko and his former chauffeur, Leonid Prystypliuk.
Loban asked the court to uphold the verdict.
The state prosecutor’s speech lasted for a couple of minutes. Other state prosecutors said they are backing their colleague.
A chuckle was heard in the courtroom while Loban was making his speech.
After the speech Lutsenko told the state prosecutor: "You were and remain a bonehead."
It was reported that on February 27, 2012, the Pechersky district court in Kyiv found Lutsenko guilty of a number of malfeasance crimes and sentenced him to four years of imprisonment. The convict will be held in prison for two years and ten months as the prison term takes account of the time he spent in custody – one year and two months.
The charges brought against Lutsenko go down to the fact that while interior minister, he ostensibly facilitated the payment of an illegal pension to his chauffeur, Leonid Prystupliuk, providing him with housing and enrolling him at the Operational Service Department. The court also found the ex-minister guilty of misusing public money for the celebration of the Police Day at the Ukraine National Palace in 2008-2009.
The ex-minister’s defense lawyer appealed this verdict.
Lutsenko was arrested on December 26, 2010. He has been held at a Kyiv jail for one year and almost five months.
