Poroshenko named suspect in abuse of authority, state overthrow charges

Former President Petro Poroshenko was named a suspect
on Nov. 18 in a criminal case involving the alleged abuse of authority in
selecting candidates for the High Justice Council during the selection
procedure in March-May 2019. The State Bureau of Investigations submitted to
the Prosecutor General’s Office its accusations against the former president in
the crimes of abuse of authority and public calls for violent change or
overthrowing the constitutional order, as well as distributing materials
calling for such actions. The bureau also requested that parliament removed
political immunity from Poroshenko, who is an MP with the European Solidarity
party.

The notice of suspicion against Poroshenko was
prepared by the Russian government in order to discredit him ahead of his
planned visits to meet with foreign leaders in Croatia and Canada, said in
response Ihor Holovan, a lawyer for the president. He accused the State Bureau
of Investigations of acting at the order of Andriy Portnov, a lawyer for former
President Yanukovych who has been accused by the president of working behind
the scenes in preparing more than a dozen criminal cases against him. The same
day, Poroshenko tweeted that he canceled several foreign visits in order to
return to Kyiv to respond to the accusations, adding that it’s “ridiculous” to
accuse a sitting president of state overthrow.

Zenon Zawada: We were
starting to doubt Zelensky’s willingness to allow and pursue prosecutions of
high-ranking officials, both past and present. Recent developments have shown
that a little patience was needed. Now a few dozen mid- and high-ranking
officials have been named suspects. The true test is when they face a full
trial in court that leads to a ruling by a judge.

When that happens for several mid- to high-ranking
officials, we can breathe a sigh of relief that the Ukrainian government has
taken the minimal steps to becoming a rule of law society. It’s also important
that prosecutions occur of officials from a diverse array of political parties
and entourages. The Zelensky administration seems to understand that, which is
also positive.

As for Poroshenko, he faces more than a dozen criminal
cases. So we expect that he will be prosecuted for at least one criminal case,
considering how many there are and considering the Zelensky administration
needs to demonstrate its commitment to rule of law to the citizenry, many of
whom resent Poroshenko. The big questions are what charges will be selected for
prosecuting him and whether a court will convict him.