SBI: Case against Poroshenko concerns not Tomos but UOC-KP, we closed it

Acting Director of the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine Alexander Sokolov. Photo: a video screenshot from the "112 Ukraine" YouTube channel

The criminal case against the former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko concerned the liquidation of the UOC-KP rather than the receipt of the Tomos of the OCU, said the acting Director of the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine Alexander Sokolov. A video recording of Sokolov's briefing on the Tomos case was published on the “112 Ukraine” YouTube channel.

According to acting Director of the SBI, the criminal case regarding the deregistration of the Kyiv Patriarchate was registered after the relevant court decision, when the Bureau was still headed by Roman Truba.

“The former President knows for sure that last year, under Roman Truba as the head of the SBI, by a court decision, the SBI registered a criminal proceeding on the deregistration of the UOC-KP,” Sokolov said. “The proceedings were opened at the request of the believers of this community and raised the question of the community being deprived of the opportunity to freely worship and use the temples.”

The acting Director of the State Bureau of Investigation explained that the case was closed after all the necessary investigative measures were taken.

According to A. Sokolov, some politicians are trying to politicize the activities of the Bureau at any cost.

“The investigators have not found evidence of a criminal offence, which falls under Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely, violation of the equality of citizens in connection with their religious beliefs,” Sokolov said.

The question of the liquidation of the UOC-KP must be considered within the framework of civil or administrative proceedings, he noted.

"The SBI as a law enforcement body of the state, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, has no right to interfere in religious affairs," Sokolov stressed.

According to A. Sokolov, the Bureau held consultations on this with representatives of various religious communities in Ukraine.

On June 18, Poroshenko said that a criminal case was allegedly opened against him because of the Tomos. Later, the lawyer of the UOC-KP, Neonilla Tkachenko, noted that the case against the former President of Ukraine was opened at the lawsuit of the Kyiv Patriarchate.

On July 28, the politician assured that he was proud of the Tomos case initiated against him, but that very day the SBI reported that law enforcement officers are not considering any cases regarding the Tomos.

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