Yuschenko calling on law-enforcers to withstand politicization of high-profile cases

12:48

Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko has called on law-enforcers to speed up the investigation into the criminal cases against former head of the Interior Ministry's foreign surveillance department Oleksiy Pukach, against ex-MP Viktor Lozinsky, and into the death of a teenager in Lviv region, while not allowing the cases to become politicized.

Yuschenko told this to Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko, head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentyn Nalyvaichenko and Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko during their meeting at Boryspil Airport before the president's departure for Crimea.

While speaking to the prosecutor general, Yuschenko said that due to the actions of the SBU and the PGO, they have a witness in Gongadze case, who is giving evidence which could help successfully complete the investigation into the case.

At the same time, Yuschenko noted that he knows that pressure is being exerted on the investigators in charge of this case.

The president asked the prosecutor general not to delay the investigation as each day of delay gives new grounds for political speculation.

Yuschenko said he is confident that the Prosecutor General's Office, the SBU and the Interior Ministry will be able to complete this case together.

While speaking with the interior minister about the search for former parliamentarian Lozinsky, who is a suspect in the murder of citizen Valeriy Oliynyk in Kirovohrad region, Yuschenko asked for every effort to be made to detain the suspect if the police knows his whereabouts.

"This man should be arrested and brought to the Prosecutor General's Office," he said.

While commenting on the case of the death of teenager Ihor Zaritsky in Lviv region on June 29, the president said that one of those involved is a high-ranking law-enforcer. The president believes that he should be brought before the courts.

"I am worried, Oleksandr Ivanovych [Medvedko], about the pace [of the investigation], as some are politicizing the case, whereas others are building up their ratings… It is not a problem to bring Lozinsky to court, as well as those responsible for the teenager's death in Lviv region," the president told the prosecutor general.

He called on the heads of all three law-enforcement agencies to speed up the investigation of these cases.

31.07.2009