You're reading: Financial Times: Ukraine’s ex-president in murder probe

Roman Olearchyk wrote: "Ukrainian prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into former president Leonid Kuchma on suspicion of involvement in the brutal 2000 murder of investigative journalist Georgy Gongadze."
The report continues:"If he is charged in connection with the case, Kuchma could become one of only a handful of presidents from former Soviet republics to stand trial in a region where authoritarian and corrupt leadership is common. It would also bring closure to a case that has haunted Ukraine for a decade. Ukraine is notorious for its failure to uphold the rule of law. Both ordinary citizens and investors say the nation’s political and business elite too often benefit from impunity, and are rarely punished for widespread corruption and cronyism. The Gongadze case comes amid mounting domestic and international pressure for Ukraine to solve a long list of unsolved crimes, allegedly involving top officials."
The report concludes: "Handling of the case could test the current Ukrainian leadership’s commitment to press freedom and the rule of law. Viktor Yanukovych, president since February 2010, faces accusations of backsliding on democracy and persecution of opponents."

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