WHO AND WHY INSTITUTES CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST EX-PRESIDENT POROSHENKO

In Ukraine, there are no criminal proceedings in which the ex-President Poroshenko would be in the status of a suspect (i.e. a person who is informed of suspicion in the manner prescribed by law) or the accused (or the defendant, that is, a person whose indictment has been referred to the court).

Why cases against ex-President Petro Poroshenko began to appear after the end of his presidential term? According to the Constitution of Ukraine, president of Ukraine during the exercising of authority is entitled to immunity, which may be withdrawn or restricted only in case of the consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of impeachment of the president.

Criminal cases were initiated after the applications of three people — Andriy Portnov, Nestor Shufrych and former People’s deputy Dmytro Kryuchkov.

Oleksandr Chebanenko, the expert on the law enforcement and judicial systems reform programme of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (UIF)