Lutsenko: Yefremov's arrest shows that Ukraine is recovering
Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko says that the decision of the Pechersky district court of Kyiv to keep Oleksandr Yefremov in custody demonstrates Ukraine’s recovery. “The decision of the court shows the recovery of Ukraine. Thank you all for supporting the legal decision,” Lutsenko wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
Yefremov, the former Chairman of the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, was arrested and detained on July 30th on suspicion of infringement on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He was taken into custody at the Boryspil International Airport where he was trying to fly to Vienna. The Prosecutor General's Office then applied to keep Yefremov in custody for up to two months and stressed that the articles under which Yefremov faces criminal charges do not include preventive measures in form of house arrest or bail.
Yefremov is suspected of a number of criminal offences such as seizure of property (Article 191, page 5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), commission of deliberate actions for the purpose of changing the territorial borders of Ukraine that led to death of people and other heavy consequences (page 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code) and also in commission of organizational and other assistance to the creation of the co-called Luhansk People’s Republic.
Prosecutor General Lutsenko also noted that public prosecution in the court was represented by natives of Luhansk like Yefremov himself. "There were two parties in court: pro-imperial Novorossiya built on stolen millions and the blood of their fellow citizens, and battle-scarred but invincible Ukraine. Yefremov is a citizen of Luhansk while prosecutors Andreev and Zakharov are also citizens of Luhansk. Yefremov is suspected of assisting those who destroyed and robbed the country. They [the prosecutors] joined the army as volunteers and now they are fighting against an internal enemy,” Lutsenko wrote.
On August 1st, the Pechersky district court of Kyiv selected a preventive measure to hold Yefremov in custody for up to 60 days or until September 28th, satisfying the request of the Prosecutor General's Office.