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A court in Ukraine has rejected the request of the Prosecutor’s Office for the arrest of former President Petro Poroshenko, who is being accused of treason.
Poroshenko has said the charges against him are politically motivated. On January 19, he appeared before the Pechersk District Court in Kiev as thousands of his supporters protested outside the court.
The judge said Poroshenko did not need to be stopped by authorities although he should appear before prosecutors and investigators whenever they request it. The judge also ordered Poroshenko to stay in Kiev and hand over his passport to authorities.
Poroshenko announced that he would appeal the decision, saying it “hinders” his political activity.
“This is not a victory yet, but it is the first step in the right direction,” he said.
After the hearing, Poroshenko joined his supporters in front of the courthouse and then the protesters marched on the president’s office.
The prosecution demanded that 37 million euros be released on parole so that Poroshenko could be defended at large.
Poroshenko’s case has raised international concerns, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging Ukrainians to “stand together” during a visit to Kiev as the country “faces a possible new Russian aggression.”
“I think one of the long-term goals of Moscow has been to try to create divisions between states, but also within states, and we simply will not allow them to do that,” Blinken said during a meeting with the president. Ukrainian, Volodymyr Zenenskiy.
The allegations against Poroshenko relate to allegations that when he was president, in 2014-2015 he helped Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine sell coal.
If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison./ REL
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