Trial in Poroshenko’s “coal case” postponed to September due to Medvedchuk’s lawyers’ request
8 August 15:18
Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court has postponed the hearing of the case on treason charges against the fifth president and MP Petro Poroshenko.
According to Espresso, Viktor Medvedchuk’s lawyers asked to postpone the hearing. The court granted the request and set a new date for September 11 or 12, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Poroshenko was present in person, while the other defendant, businessman Serhiy Kuziara, joined online. According to the former president, the meeting lasted several minutes, and the case, which has been under consideration for seven years, is “fictitious.”
For reference
the “Coal Case” concerns the supply of coal from the occupied territories of Donbas for more than UAH 1.5 billion in 2014-2015. The investigation believes that Poroshenko, as president, facilitated the purchase of coal with state funds and acted in the interests of the self-proclaimed L/DPR, making Ukraine energy dependent on Russia and militants.
The defendants: Petro Poroshenko, Viktor Medvedchuk, former Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn, and businessman Serhiy Kuzyara. The investigation was completed in September 2022, but the proceedings were suspended due to the war.
Poroshenko’s defense calls the charges politically motivated.
