05 May 2021, Wednesday, 13:26 236

SBI Opens Case Against Yanukovych On Fact Of High Treason At Conclusion Of Kharkiv Agreements And Suspends Investigation

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) opened criminal proceedings against former President Viktor Yanukovych on the fact of high treason at the conclusion of the Kharkiv Agreements in 2010 and suspended the pre-trial investigation.

This is stated in the materials of the court, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

On April 28, the Podilskyi District Court of Kyiv received a complaint from Yanukovych's lawyer, in which he asks to cancel the decision of the head of the second department of the Directorate for Investigation of Crimes Committed in Connection with Mass Protests in 2013-2014, the State Bureau of Investigation of April 9, on the suspension of the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings on the fact of high treason at the conclusion of the Kharkiv Agreements.

In support of the complaint, the applicant noted that on April 9, the SBI opened a case against the fourth President on the grounds of a criminal offense under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code upon the conclusion on April 21, 2010 in Kharkiv between Ukraine and the Russian Federation of an agreement on the stay of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine.

However, the court returned his complaint back to the applicant.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the State Bureau of Investigation served former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov with suspicion of high treason due to the approval of the draft Kharkiv Agreements.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) conducted searches in the structures involved in the preparation and ratification of the Kharkiv Agreements.

The SSU began to investigate the alleged high treason of government officials when they signed in 2010 and ratified an agreement to extend the basing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea for 25 years (Kharkiv Agreements).