Prosecutor's office: Criminal case against TVi's Kniazhytsky closed

The investigatory department of Kyiv's Tax Police has closed a criminal case against TVi Channel Director General Mykola Kniazhytsky, according to the press service of Kyiv's Prosecutor's Office.

The press service recalled that on July 27 the prosecutor's office cancelled an instruction on the opening of the criminal case against Kniazhytsky. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka ordered to check whether the criminal case was opened legally.

On July 30, the materials of the criminal case were sent back to the investigatory department of the tax police in Kyiv, and on August 1 the case was closed. It was decided to return the channel's documents, which had been withdrawn by law enforcers, the prosecutor's office said.

On July 12, 2012, reports said that a criminal case had been opened against TVi Director Kniazhytsky. The tax police accused him of failing to pay UAH 3 million in taxes to the budget. Kniazhytsky said that he had already won all trials on this case and that he had paid all taxes. The tax police started checking the channel's documents, although Head of the State Tax Service Oleksandr Klymenko signed an order in April 2012 declaring on a moratorium on media checks before parliamentary elections.

Kniazhytsky is eleventh in the party ticket of the united opposition.