Former top Ukrainian officials who were put on the Interpol's wanted list did not disappear from the list, although information about some of them posted on the Interpol's website has been blocked after receiving claims on the alleged political motivation of their prosecution, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has reported.
“Under international law a person put on the international wanted list has a right to challenge his prosecution if the person believes and will prove that he is prosecuted due to political reasons. Some former officials of the Yanukovych’s regime who are hiding from Ukrainian law enforcers and were added to the Interpol’s base, used this right: their lawyers filed applications that they are allegedly prosecuted by Ukraine due to political reasons. They did not disappear from the wanted list due to the claims, and according to the Interpol’s rules since that moment their read notice posted on the Interpol’s website has been blocked,” Prosecutor Vladyslav Kutsenko said on 112 TV on Jan. 22.
He said that after considering the claims the notices will be restored or removed from the base.
Kutsenko said that the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine is ready to deliver all the required information to Interpol that confirms that these persons are prosecuted not due to political reasons.
“We are ready for cooperation and will deliver this information,” he said.
Head of the administration of the Interpol National Central Bureau for Ukraine Vasyl Nevolia also confirmed that information about former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, former Health Minister of Ukraine Raisa Bohatyriova, former Finance Minister of Ukraine Yuriy Kolobov is absent in the open database of Interpol, as the Interpol is now considering their claims regarding political motives of their prosecution.
Kutsenko said that a total of 18 former top Ukrainian officials are in the Interpol’s database.
