Expert on Poroshenko's statement: I don't think the Tomos case exists

Poroshenko’s statements may be an attempt to call on the faithful of the OCU for his defence. Photo: courrierinternational.com

The opening of a criminal case for inciting religious hatred is only a version of Petro Poroshenko, said Ruslan Bortnik, Director of the Ukrainian Institute for Policy Analysis and Management, in a commentary to the UOJ.

“I don’t think it is opened,” the expert noted. “So far, this has been the version of Petro Poroshenko, and I do not exclude that this is just a way of protection, an attempt to call OCU believers to his side, for his defence. So far, there are no official statements that this case is opened, and it is not known whether it exists.”

Now we should wait for official information, he added.

“But even if this case exists – opened on someone’s statement or by a court decision – I think that it will not have any legal prospects against Poroshenko, but at the same time it will allow him to mobilize his electorate,” said Ruslan Bortnik.

As reported earlier, on June 18, 2020, the ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announced the opening of a criminal case against him “For inciting inter-faith hatred by receiving the Tomos and creating the Orthodox Church of Ukraine”.

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