You're reading: Wife: Lutsenko not brought to court on Jan. 20 due to illness

Former Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko was not taken to court on Friday, Jan. 20 due to his illness, the defendant's wife, Iryna Lutsenko, has said.

"I know exactly that Yuriy [Lutsenko] could not come for just one reason – obviously he was very ill," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

Iryna Lutsenko added that she planned to visit her husband in jail on Friday evening, where she will demand clarification from the prison’s medical staff.

Earlier, the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine reported that on Jan. 20, 2012, Lutsenko refused to participate in the court hearing, and his refusal was documented by the prison staff.

"Meanwhile, according to the findings of the medical staff of Kyiv detention centre, Lutsenko’s health condition is satisfactory, there are no medical contraindications for his participation in court meetings," the penitentiary service said in a statement.

The next court hearing of Lutsenko’s case is scheduled for Jan. 24. On Thursday, the meeting lasted about fourteen hours, during which emergency doctors were called five times to attend to the defendant.