You're reading: Poroshenko signs law on conviction in absentia

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code providing for the possibility of pre-trial investigation and court proceedings in the absence of the suspect (accused).

“I have signed the law that will allow holding a trial of Yanukovych,” the head of state wrote on Twitter on Oct. 21.

As reported, the law on the amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code, providing for the possibility of pre-trial investigation and court proceedings in the absence of the suspect (accused) was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on October 7, 2014. A total of 253 MPs voted for the bill which was submitted to the parliament by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk.

According to an explanatory note to the document, the bill was drafted by the Justice Ministry pursuant to the plan of priority measures to overcome corruption, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on July 2, “in order to ensure the principle of inevitability of punishment in cases where the suspect (accused) is staying outside Ukraine, hiding from investigation agencies and trial, trying to evade criminal prosecution.”

According to the law, the suspect (accused), who is hiding from investigative agencies and trial, will be subject to a special criminal proceedings with the obligatory participation of the defense lawyer. Such proceedings will be opened in the cases of the crimes against the foundations of national security of Ukraine, against the peace and security of mankind and the international legal order, targeted killings, terrorism and corruption-related offenses.

Earlier, in August 2014, when the work on the bill was in progress, Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema said that this document will allow bringing ex-president Viktor Yanukovych and his former entourage to justice.

In addition, the law will allow efficient work on returning the funds illegally withdrawn by former high-ranking officials from Ukraine. According to him, assets of former Ukrainian high-ranking officials have been seized in a number of foreign countries, the prosecutor general said.

According to Yarema, the ex-chief of the presidential administration, Andriy Kliuyev, had 13 million Swiss francs frozen in Swiss banks accounts and a 558 square meter house; MP Serhiy Kliuyev 13 million Swiss francs frozen; Oleksiy Azarov, the son of ex-prime minister Mykola Azarov, 6.7 million euro frozen in Austrian banks and a 5 million euro property. The former first deputy prime minister, Serhiy Arbuzov, had $49.3 million frozen with Latvian banks; parliamentarian Yuriy Ivaniuschenko, $32 million and 72 million Swiss francs in Latvia, the prosecutor general said