KHARKIV - The former head of Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Arsen Avakov, is evading investigation in a criminal case on abuse of office, the head of the department for control over compliance with law by special forces and other agencies combating organized crime at the prosecutor's office of Kharkiv region, Oleksandr Babikov, has claimed.
"Given the public attention given to this case, we all understand that he, as a person against whom a criminal case was opened, knew that this case was opened, and he knew of his obligation to appear before a pre-trial investigation body. It’s not correct to say that he did not know and does not know about the need to come before a pre-trial investigation body," he said at a press conference in Kharkiv on Tuesday.
He noted that a summons had repeatedly been sent to Avakov to come to the prosecutor’s office.
"Avakov was summoned on Jan. 25 and 27 this year. On January 30, he was notified of the need to appear before a pre-trial investigation body to receive a written decision to institute criminal proceedings against him. In order to establish his whereabouts, his family members, wife and son, were questioned, and they, by the way, refused to explain and inform a pre-trial investigation body about his location and accept a summons for immediate delivery to him," Babikov said.
On Jan. 26, the prosecutor’s office of Kharkiv region opened a criminal case against Avakov on charges of abuse of office under Part 3, Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
On the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 31, searches were conducted in a former apartment of Avakov, in which he has not lived for the past few years, and later in the day searches were made of the apartment in which he is currently registered.
Earlier, Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, based on the results of checks on alleged illegal actions by the former head of Kharkiv regional state administration, opened a criminal case against officials from Kharkiv Regional State Administration and the main office of the State Agency for Land Resources in Kharkiv region for land fraud in 2009.
Based on the results of checks, the prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case against officials of Kharkiv Regional State Administration and the main office of the State Agency for Land Resources in Kharkiv region "due to the illegal appropriation in 2009 of state-owned land plots with a total area of almost 55 hectares worth more than Hr 5.5 million through abuse of office… and forgery."
The case against the officials was opened under Part 2, Article 364 and Part 2, Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Avakov was appointed governor of Kharkiv region on Feb. 4, 2005.
On Feb. 9, 2010, he resigned under Part 3, Article 31 of the Ukrainian law on civil service (fundamental disagreement with the decision of a public body or official, as well as ethical obstacles to remaining in public service).
