October 9 2003, 13:21 APK-Inform

Court will interrogate 580 people on Kozachenko case

On October 9 Pechersk District Court of Kiev held the preliminary hearing on criminal case of ex-Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture Leonid Kozachenko, a lawyer for the accused ex-official Ihor Usenko has told APK-Inform. After the hearing a copy of the accusation bill was handed to the defendant, according to which 580 people will have to be interrogated in court.

In the preliminary hearing the court has determined readiness of the case to be heard in essence. Also, the claims of the defence have been considered about stop of the criminal case because of absence of the fact of crime, as well as the complaints, submitted in April 2003 when the case was started.

The claim of the defence was rejected, as, according to the court, at the moment it was impossible to decide weather or not the case should be closed, as the evidences were to be examined in an open hearing.

The court decided to appoint the case for hearing in essence on October 29, 2003.

As it was earlier reported General Prosecutor's Office started criminal case against L. Kozachenko on 24 March this year. As of today he is being accused of office abuse entailing grave consequences and bribery in especially large scale.

Kozachenko held the post of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture since June 9, 2001 till November 26, 2002.