Court hearing on Poroshenko detention adjourned to Jan. 19

Pechersk District Court was unable to adopt a decision
on choosing preventing measure against former president Petro Poroshenko on
Jan. 17 and has scheduled its verdict for 2 pm on Jan. 19. Just as Poroshenko
came back to Ukraine in the morning of Monday, the visited court hearing that
was aimed at selecting preventing measure, as a part of criminal case on his
state treason and financing terrorism. The prosecutors demanded that Poroshenko
be detained or post UAH 1 bln (USD 35 mln) bail. Poroshenko’s lawyers demanded
that he be released without conditions and the case against him closed. Judge
Oleksiy Sokolov spent five hours in the deliberation room, but was not able to
adopt any decision that day. 

The court was surrounded by hundreds of Poroshenko
supporters. After the court’s meeting, Poroshenko asked his supporters to come
back on Jan. 19.

Interestingly, the full text of the same court’s
ruling to arrest all Poroshenko’s assets, which was scheduled to be announced
on Jan. 14, was re-scheduled last week for Jan. 19. The decision to arrest his assets was adopted
on Jan. 6.

Recall, Poroshenko is accused of facilitating
coal purchases from the occupied regions of Eastern
Ukraine in December 2014 – November 2015 totaling UAH 215 mln. Prosecutors
allege that the  money paid was used by the terrorist organizations to
finance their activities. Along with Poroshenko, the suspects are Viktor
Medvedchuk, who is a member of the Ukrainian parliament and a friend of the Russian
president, businessman Serhiy Kuziara and former energy minister Volodymyr
Demchyshyn. The first two are currently under home arrest, while the last is
declared internationally wanted, the State Bureau of Investigation reported on
Jan. 17.

Alexander Paraschiy: It is very
unlikely that Poroshenko will be detained on Jan. 19, taking into account that
the other suspects in this case received less strict sanctions, as the court’s
ruling would be seen as politically motivated by Ukraine’s Western partners,
and a strict verdict could lead to escalation of political conflict inside the
country, a thing that is not desired amid the current geopolitical risks.

The key trouble for Poroshenko related to this case is
his aligning with Medvedchuk, a person hated by Poroshenko’s core electorate.
Therefore, it is vital for Poroshenko’s political prospects to make all the
allegations declared false. If he is able to do it his electoral support would
rise and he would become a powerful competitor to Zelensky at the next
presidential elections.