Ukraine’s ex-president refuses to come for interrogation due to threats to life — lawyer

Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych will not come to Kiev for an interrogation due on August 11, the ex-president’s lawyer Vitaly Serdyuk told the Ukrainian Hromadske TV on Friday.

The lawyer named good reasons why the former president would not come and referred to a provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
“Yanukovych will not be present at the interrogation due to threats to his life and health,” he said.

At the same time, the lawyer said his client is willing to participate in an interrogation remotely — by a video conference.
“We have already notified the Prosecutor General’s Office [Yanukovych] is ready to testify from his location,” the lawyer said.

On August 6, Ukraine’s official edition of central authorities Uryadovy Kuryer (Governmental Courier) published a summons issued by the Prosecutor General’s Office, addressed to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych. It read that the ex-president should come on August 11 by 11a.m. to the Prosecutor General’s Office to head of department, Yuri Beschastny, for investigative and procedural actions in criminal proceedings.