Ihor Liashenko, a public defense lawyer for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, believes that the evidence provided by the prosecutor’s office in the case on treason charges against his client is not admissible.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, in particular, he questioned the authenticity of the personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Head of the Council of Ministers of the self-proclaimed republic of Crimea Sergei Aksionov on video materials provided by the prosecutor’s office.
At a court session on Dec. 4, while considering the evidence of the charges, Liashenko repeatedly pointed out that he considered these materials to be received in violation of the procedure prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
In particular, the issue concerns Putin’s interview with journalists in February-March 2014 and his statements in a film “Crimea: The Road to Homeland.”
“On the video, we see a face resembling Russian President Vladimir Putin, and there are doubts as to who this person is, what powers he has, and what he can report on the actions of my client,” the lawyer said.
A prosecutor of the chief military prosecutor’s office, in turn, insisted that the video materials from the Internet, newspapers and television provided as evidence were admissible. Presiding Judge Vladyslav Deviatko proposed that the lawyer, if he doubts the authenticity of certain persons on the video, to apply for an examination.
