Update: Lutsenko planning to challenge criminal case against him in court

The leader of the People's Self-Defense group, former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, has said that the criminal case opened against him is the result of his political and police activities and that he will challenge the case in court. "I clearly understand that this case is the result of my political and police activities," Lutsenko told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday after being questioned at the main investigation department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.

"Today [on Tuesday] I will lodge an appeal at Pechersky court against the criminal case, which I think is illegal and unjustified," he said.

Lutsenko also added: "Let's hope that there are still honest courts in Ukraine."

He said that on Tuesday he had again been summoned to the Prosecutor General's Office as part of a criminal case opened against him under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"The point is that I allegedly entered into collusion with my driver, and created the conditions for assigning an extra pension to him, which amounts to about Hr 40,000," he said.

Lutsenko noted that he had never concealed his current position with respect to the current authorities.

"After the current authorities won the presidential and local elections, I had to pay for that," he said.

Lutsenko said that the criminal case was "a clear attempt to by the Regions Party to shut my mouth" and, perhaps, to estrange him from society so that he cannot express his position.