Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was set for $35 million in bail and jailed for 60 days without paying it

Source: Global Times New Media

According to a report by Russian TELEVISION on the 17th, Ukrainian prosecutors asked a court in Kiev to set the bail of former President Poroshenko at $35 million, and he will be detained for two months without handing him over. Poroshenko faces treason charges, but he insists it is political persecution.

Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko

On Monday (17th), prosecutors told the presiding judge of the Pechesky District Court in Kiev that in order to avoid jail time, Poroshenko, who is now one of ukraine's main opposition leaders, must hand over his passport, pay bail, and agree to wear an electronic surveillance bracelet.

Some media said that the judge in this case, Aleksey Sokolov, had a medical emergency before the verdict and an ambulance was sent to treat him, but the court denied this claim.

The court announced that it would make a judgment on Wednesday (19th) and allowed Poroshenko to leave the court building temporarily freely.

Poroshenko received a summons last month and was asked to be questioned on possible charges, after which he left Ukraine. And on Monday, he flew back to Ukraine from Poland for interrogation, saying he wanted to help Ukraine face the "growing Russian threat" and the "betrayal" of his successor, Zelenskiy.

Before heading to court to accept formal charges, he told supporters in a speech: "The authorities are confused, weak, they are not confronting Putin, they are trying to confront us." ”

During Poroshenko's presidency, he was involved in a plan to buy 1.5 billion hryvnia (about $54 million) worth of coal from donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014-2015, when clashes between Ukrainian government forces and local civilian forces broke out, and the two regions declared their "secession" from Ukraine, the indictment said. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Poroshenko is Ukraine's "chocolate tycoon" who was elected president of Ukraine after a coup d'état by U.S.-backed militants in February 2014. In the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, he was overwhelmingly defeated by Zelenskiy.

The 56-year-old former president has denied any wrongdoing and accused Zelenskiy of trying to divert the country's attention from its defeat. He also said the prosecutors' actions were "shameful" and that they had "divided" Ukraine.

Poroshenko returned to Kiev when a U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator Chris Murphy visited Kiev. Murphy, a major supporter of the 2014 Coup in Ukraine, told reporters on Monday that the United States was concerned about Ukraine's "selective justice" and "targeting political opponents." "We're leaving this issue to the justice system to ensure that President Poroshenko gets a fair trial," Murphy said.