The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine (PGO) has called in former President Viktor Yanukovych, former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, his son, Oleksiy Azarov, and former Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov for questioning on Nov. 17.
The respective summons notices were posted on the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office on Nov. 13.
“Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych, born on July 9, 1950, in accordance with the requirements of Articles 133 and 135 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, you need to appear at 16.00 on November 17, 2017 at the investigative unit of the office for especially important cases of the department for international legal cooperation of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, in room No. 1106B at 13/15 Riznytska Street in Kyiv for procedural measures in criminal proceedings No. 12013220530000400 of January 31, 2013 on the grounds of crimes set forth in Part 1, Article 255, Part 5, Article 191, Part 3, Article 209, Part 2, Article 205 and other articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the text of the summons reads.
In addition, Azarov and his son are also summoned for questioning as part of the same criminal proceedings. They should appear for interrogation on Nov. 17 at 3.00 p.m. and 1.00 p.m. at the same address.
Arbuzov, who served as Ukraine’s deputy prime minister from Dec. 24, 2012 to Jan. 28, 2014, was called to interrogation on the same day at 2.00 p.m., as part of the same criminal proceedings.
At the same time, there is no information in which status the said persons are summoned for questioning.
As reported, Azarov headed the Ukrainian government from March 2010 to the end of January 2014. He left Ukraine after the EuroMaidan Revolution. He currently lives in Russia. The Ukrainian side placed him on the interstate wanted list on suspicion of embezzlement of state funds.
Azarov’s son, Oleksiy, served as an MP of the Verkhovna Rada of the seventh convocation.
In early August 2016, Azarov and his son had already been summoned to the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine as witnesses for participation in procedural measures as part of the criminal proceedings opened in January 2013 on the appropriation of property by a criminal organization led by Yanukovych, which belongs to PJSC Ukrnafta and PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia, for a total of Hr 2 billion.
Neither Mykola Azarov nor Azarov appeared for interrogation.
