Kyiv Obolon District Court completed debates on the case of Yanukovych’s state treason, as Vladyslav Devyatko, presiding judge, stated during the court session on Tuesday, Ukrainian News reported.
Lawyer Oleksandr Baydyk continued his debate speech, which he began voicing on October 13. Given that he started announcing the protocols of questioning of the witnesses for the second time and stating the same petitions, the judge decided to interrupt him.
“The court considers necessary to stop the speech of Baydyk,” he said accusing the lawyer of purposeful protraction of case.
Baydyk stressed that the legislation does not prohibit him from reading the same testimony several times. The court did not agree with his position and noted that the other four lawyers of Yanukovych did not come to the court and announced the end of the debates which began on August 16. The lawyers Oleksandr Goroshynsky and Baydyk protested against the decision.
Later, the judge announced about the break in the hearing till November 19. On this day, the court wants to hear the last plea of the accused. Then, the court will leave to the deliberations room to deliver the sentence.
Devyatko noted that the Ukrainian legislation allows the court to not hear the last plea of the accused, who is being tried in absentia. At the same time, the court decided to follow the norms of the Convention on Human Rights and let Yanukovych say his last plea on a video-conference.
“The court…will provide Yanukovych with a right to appeal to the court with his last plea,” Devyatko announced the court’s decision.
The session is scheduled for 10 am, November 19. The court will not cancel or postpone it. On the same day, the court will decide on the sentence.
As it was reported earlier, the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office asks the court to sentence ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych to 15 years of imprisonment in the case on state treason, as Prosecutor Maksym Krym said during the debates in the court on Thursday, August 16.
Reportedly, fee-based lawyers of Viktor Yanukovych started a skirmish with police in the building of Obolon District Court of Kyiv, where the next court hearing in the case of treason against former Ukrainian President took place.
Earlier we reported that Olexandr Horoshynsky, the lawyer of former officers of special unit “Berkut” has become a new lawyer of Ukraine's ex-president Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych is charged with state treason, assistance in deliberate actions against Ukraine’s state border, sovereignty and territorial integrity and assistance in leading the aggressive war against Ukraine.
