Court to start choosing measure of restraint for Poroshenko on Jan 17 – SBI

Kyiv's Pechersky District Court will start selecting a measure of restraint for former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at 11:00 on January 17, the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation has said.

"The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has scheduled a court hearing in criminal proceedings regarding a criminal scheme on coal supplies from temporarily occupied territories and aiding the terrorist organizations 'LPR' and 'DPR.' On January 17, 2022, at 11:00, a petition will be considered to choose a measure of restraint in the form of detention against Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko," the statement reads.

The SBI also released a screenshot of a letter from the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv stating that the petition would be considered by Investigating Judge Oleksii Sokolov.

On December 20, 2021, Acting Prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko signed a notice of suspicion for Poroshenko in the case of coal supplies from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

According to Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation, Poroshenko is suspected of "aiding the activities of the terrorist organizations 'LPR' and 'DPR' by acting in collusion with a group of individuals, including representatives of the top leadership of the Russian Federation."

In September-November 2021, an incumbent MP and a former energy minister were declared suspects in the case. They are suspected of buying coal from non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions using state funds. According to the investigation, through their actions they made Ukraine's energy sector dependent on Russia and terrorist organizations, which, in turn, undermined the economic security of the state in 2014-2015, depriving it of any opportunities for diversification of energy sources and providing Russia with greater opportunities for further interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine and subversive activities against the country.

Poroshenko is to return from a foreign trip to Kyiv on January 17 at 09:00.