The position of Ukraine’s ex-president Viktor Yanukovych on the recall of his lawyers is aimed only at delaying the trial of the high treason case against him, which is being tried in accordance with special procedures (in absentia), Ruslan Kravchenko, a prosecutor with the Ukrainian Main Military Prosecutor’s Office, said.
“The prosecutors believe that Yanukovych’s position is aimed only at dragging out the trial. Because this person has evaded the pre-trial investigation body, is now evading the trial for the purpose of avoiding criminal liability for the crimes that he committed against the people of Ukraine and against his state,” he told reporters after the hearing held in the Kyiv Obolonsky District Court on July 6.
Kravchenko said he is confident that the state will appoint a professional lawyer for Yanukovych now that he has refused his lawyers’ services and the trial will continue with a new defense lawyer.
Responding to a question from journalists as to whether the replacement of defense lawyers in the trial means that it will start from the beginning, Kravchenko said that only means that the new lawyer will be given time to become familiar with the criminal case materials. The prosecutor said only the court should decide how much time that may take.
Kravchenko said the prosecutors had provided 19 volumes of evidence to the court. “The defense lawyers have opened to us two volumes of their evidence, and I don’t know how many [volumes] were provided by the defense lawyers before that time and how many formed volumes of their evidence are possessed by the court,” he said.
Earlier that day, the Kyiv Obolonsky District Court made a decision to provide free legal assistance in the Yanukovych case. The trial of the high treason case against the former president of Ukraine has adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on July 12 to enforce the court decision to provide a defense lawyer.
According to earlier reports, Yanukovych is charged with encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, which led to the death of people or other grave consequences (punishable by seven to 12 years in prison), high treason (punishable by ten to 15 years in prison), and waging an aggressive war or aggressive military actions (punishable by ten to 15 years in prison).
