High Specialized Civil And Criminal Court Rules Illegal Institution Of …
The High Specialized Court for Dealing with Civil and Criminal Cases has upheld the previous instances courts’ judgements that ruled illegal and overturned the Prosecutor-General’s Office order on institution of criminal proceedings against former (1994 – 2005) President Leonid Kuchma on charges of implication in the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze.
The panel of judges has announced this decision at a sitting.
“The panel of judges has ruled to uphold the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv award and the appellate judgement on the complaint lodged by [Kuchma’s] defenders Ulyanov and Petrunenko,” the bench said.
Thus, the Court has dismissed cassation appeals filed by the Prosecutor-General’s Office representatives, lawyers to Mykola Melnychenko, a former officer of the presidential guard service, Valentyna Telichenko, an attorney representing Myroslava Gongadze, widow of the murdered journalist Georgy Gongadze, and the aggrieved Oleksii Podolskyi.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv on December 14, 2011 revoked the Prosecutor-General’s Office order on institution of criminal proceedings on charges of Kuchma of involvement in the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze.
The Kyiv Appeal Court on January 20 upheld the judgment and dismissed the appeals lodged by the Prosecutor-General’s Office and attorneys for Melnychenko and Gongadze’s widow, Myroslava.
The PGO filed a cassation appeal.