Prosecutors in Kyiv have opened another criminal inquiry with respect to Party of Regions parliamentarian and Ukrainian presidential candidate Oleh Tsariov on the charge of calling for separatism.
“The reason for opening this criminal case were the public speeches
made by the parliamentarian during mass rallies outside the building of
the Ukrainian Security Service Directorate for the Luhansk region, in
which he expressed separatist intentions and called for the break-up of
the country,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Tsariov is already under investigation in another criminal case for
“encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine.”
“In view of this, Ukrainian Acting Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnitsky
ordered these separatism files to be merged in one criminal case,” the
Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said.
Tsariov is protected by parliamentary immunity. He is also running for the Ukrainian presidency. The election is due on May 25.
