You're reading: Gongadze’s widow to appeal court ruling to drop criminal case against Kuchma

Valentyna Telychenko, the lawyer of journalist Georgy Gongadze's widow Myroslava Gongadze, will appeal against a ruling by Kyiv Pechersky District Court to close a criminal case against Ukraine's second president (1994-2005) Leonid Kuchma on suspicion of his involvement in the journalist's murder.

"In any case, the recordings can be used as evidence," Telychenko said, commenting on the court’s decision not to regard the audio recordings allegedly made by Major Mykola Melnychenko in the office of President Leonid Kuchma as evidence in the case on Gongadze’s murder.

When asked whether they plan to file an appeal against this ruling, she said: "Certainly. We will make an appeal to the Court of Appeals and the Court of Cassation, since we do not trust the judges of the Appeals Court."