Ukrainian investigators do not yet have enough evidence to deprive the ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko of parliamentary immunity and to institute criminal proceedings against him. This was stated by the country's prosecutor general Ruslan Ryaboshapka.

“When the investigators decide that there is enough evidence, the prosecutors will agree with them, say that the suspicion is justified, then we will see the materials that will go to the Verkhovna Rada with the removal of immunity,” Ryaboshapka explained.

Earlier in the media there was information that the Panama prosecutor’s office closed the criminal case against Poroshenko after two months of investigation, since she could not find any reason to hold him accountable. The lawyer of the former president of Ukraine Ilya Novikov told Interfax-Ukraine about this.

“On October 3 this year, the First Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime in Panama decided to close the case opened upon a statement by Mr. Andrei Portnov (legal adviser and former deputy head of the administration Viktor Yanukovych. - RT ) against Poroshenko ... The statement stated that the company allegedly connected with Poroshenko, they legalized the proceeds of crime, ”the agency quoted him as saying.

As Novikov noted, Portnov’s personal testimony, allegedly testifying to the crimes of the fifth president of Ukraine, was attached to this statement.

Recall that in early August in Panama a criminal case was opened about the probable concealment of Poroshenko’s income. Andrei Portnov announced this in his Telegram channel.

At the same time, he had already managed to respond to Novikov’s statements about the closure of the case. According to the lawyer, this is not about closing, but about suspension.

In early October, in an interview with TSN, the director of the State Bureau of Investigation (GBR) of Ukraine Roman Truba said that his department was conducting 12 criminal cases in which Poroshenko appeared as a witness. They relate to possible treason, the legalization of criminal proceeds in offshore and the likely pressure on the judiciary.

  • Police officers near the entrance to the building of the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine
  • RIA News

According to political analyst Alexander Dudchak, the population of Ukraine “justifiably demands to judge Poroshenko,” since he and his team in five years “brought the country to even greater poverty and destroyed its economy.”

“This becomes obvious, even if we proceed from the level of income of ordinary Ukrainians. Poroshenko is a man, to put it mildly, not sinless. It was his fault that the banking system was destroyed under far-fetched pretexts, colossal robbery was carried out in all areas, for example, the government divided the military budget and the money of depositors in banks among themselves. Poroshenko frankly profited from ordinary Ukrainians over the years of his reign, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

A similar opinion is shared by the director of the Institute for Peace Initiatives and Conflictology Denis Denisov.

“If the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine would carry out adequate investigative actions within their competence, they would certainly find a number of offenses in the activities of the previous president of Ukraine,” the analyst emphasized in a conversation with RT.

At the same time, one of the members of the current party of Petro Poroshenko “European Solidarity” told RT that “they did not plan to seriously consider the case against Poroshenko in Panama”.

“The fifth president of Ukraine is a good diplomat, so they stood up for him in Washington and in Brussels,” the deputy said.

  • President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
  • RIA News

“ Gladkovsky ’s evidence will be enough”

At the same time, according to RT sources in political parties in Ukraine, the rating of the current president Zelensky falls, so he needs “high-profile cases” and he is ready to hold accountable not only his predecessor, but also associates of the fifth president of Ukraine.

So, the former first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) and friend Poroshenko Oleg Gladkovsky was detained on October 17 by employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. It was reported that Gladkovsky was detained when he tried to fly out of the country through the Boryspil airport.

Recall that at the beginning of 2019, Gladkovsky was at the center of the corruption scandal related to Ukrobronoprom after an investigation of the journalists of Our Money publication was published.

Media representatives said they had access to the archive of correspondence of participants in the alleged corruption scheme that operated in the company. Because of it, according to journalists, the defense budget of Ukraine lost hundreds of millions of hryvnias. The publication reported on the possible involvement in this son of Gladkovsky - Igor.

It is also noted that intermediary companies, including the Kuznitsa on Rybalsky shipbuilding enterprise, which until 2018 belonged to Poroshenko, could be involved in the corruption scheme. According to Ukrainian media, the fifth president of Ukraine and Oleg Gladkovsky are connected by personal friendship.

  • Former First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleg Gladkovsky
  • © Website of the President of Ukraine

On September 13, the incumbent head of state, Vladimir Zelensky, announced that the country would certainly succeed in defeating corruption and holding all corrupt officials accountable.

“Happiness is seeing a thief in prison, not in the Maldives,” Zelensky said, obviously hinting at Petro Poroshenko.

Recall, on August 5, a criminal case was opened against the ex-president of Ukraine regarding the possible organization of illegal transfer of persons across the state border during his trip to the Maldives in 2018.

According to an interlocutor of RT from the party "Servant of the People", Zelensky authorized the detention of Gladkovsky, because "this is what the Ukrainian people and the US embassy want."

“Gladkovsky can testify against Poroshenko, and then Zelensky’s team will have a real opportunity to hold the former president accountable,” the deputy said.

This point of view is shared by the RT source in the Voice party. The interlocutor believes that within the country they are ready to consider cases against Poroshenko, the main thing is to find the right approach to the case.

“Former business partner Poroshenko Oleg Gladkovsky may be offered to testify against the fifth Ukrainian president in exchange for shortening his sentence,” he said.

In turn, a representative of the US embassy in Ukraine, in a conversation with RT, said that earlier Washington allegedly demanded that Poroshenko start an investigation against the former first deputy secretary of the NSDC.

“When it became known about the extent of theft in the army, to which Gladkovsky was involved, senior embassy officials were very unhappy and demanded that Petro Poroshenko conduct an investigation. But no one thought to bring Gladkovsky to justice. But after Zelensky’s victory, these demands were voiced again, ”the source said.

At the same time, according to the deputy from the Batkivshchyna party, achieving a punishment for the ex-president of Ukraine will be very difficult, because during his presidency Poroshenko gained influential patrons in Washington.

“Now they are doing him a favor, protecting him from persecution not only all over the world, but also in Ukraine. Although in reality there are a lot of questions to Poroshenko: both about military operations in the east, and about offshore companies in Panama, and about the sale of the Lenin Forge (aka The Forge on Rybalsky. - RT ). But to begin a real investigation within the country, it is necessary to obtain iron evidence. As far as I understand, if Gladkovsky goes to the investigation, his testimonies will be enough for this, ”RT interlocutor concluded.