The prosecutors in the trial of former first deputy chairman of Naftogaz Ukrainy Ihor Didenko came to a conclusion that the charges against the defendant should be changed for milder ones, Didenko's defense counsel Ihor Stepanov has said.
According to Stepanov, the charges which are brought against his client were changed from Part 2 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code to Part 2 of Article 364, which provides for a milder penalty, in particular, one which doesn’t involve the confiscation of property.
"During the trial, representatives of the prosecution have decided to change the articles of the indictment against Didenko from Article 191 to Article 364," he said.
As reported, on April 26, 2011, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv sent the case against Didenko, former head of the State Customs Service Anatoliy Makarenko and former Deputy Head of the Energy Regional Customs Service Taras Shepitko to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO).
They have been charged with unlawful customs clearance of natural gas as part of a criminal investigation into material damage inflicted on Ukraine, based on the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce’s ruling on RosUkrEnergo’s suit against Naftogaz.
On July 5, Kyiv Court of Appeals released Makarenko and Shepitko from custody. At the same time, the court refused to release Didenko from custody.
On July 25, Pechersky District Court in Kyiv satisfied the request by Didenko’s defense team and separated the materials on their defendant into a separate criminal case.
