The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has upheld the motion of Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko for his consent to strip Vadym Novynsky’s parliamentary immunity from prosecution.
The decision was supported by 228 deputies at the plenary session on Dec. 8, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports.
During consideration the People’s Front faction leader Maksym Burbak said that the permission in question is only given regarding criminal prosecution, not apprehension or arrest.
At that, Lutsenko said: “Novynsky is involved in the case as a witness.” He said that without permission from the Verkhovna Rada the prosecutor’s office cannot give him the status of defendant. “Currently there is only one suspicion against the honored deputy Novynsky, which I have no opportunities to put forward without permission of the Verkhovna Rada,” Lutsenko said.
Following the voting, Novynsky told reporters in the corridors of the Verkhovna Rada that accusations against him are false and he is not planning to leave the country.
The parliament partially stripped Novynsky of his parliamentary immunity upholding the prosecutor general’s motion and permitting criminal prosecution against him. However, law enforcement agencies will be able neither to apprehend nor use a restrictive measure in the form of arrest against Novynsky, because this requires further permission from the Verkhovna Rada.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office suspects Novynsky of aiding illegal imprisonment of Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and Vyshneve of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) organized by the former Ukrainian government, as well as complicity in abuse of office or powers by an official of a law enforcement agency.
On Dec. 6, the Verkhovna Rada’s committee for issues of regulations came to conclusion that it has no ground to recognize the prosecutor general’s motion requesting criminal prosecution of Novynsky as legal, justified and reasonable. At the same time, the committee noted that the motion was initiated and filed in an orderly manner.
