Ukraine’s former foreign minister remanded in custody on murder charges
The ex-minister was remanded in custody, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Read alsoUkraine’s ex-minister of foreign affairs detained on suspicion of murder (Photos)
Bail is set at UAH 14.083 million, which is US$500,000.
“The court has ruled in favor of the motion to apply a preventive measure against Kozhara in the form of detention. The measure will be in effect until May 25. Kozhara’s bail was set at 6,700 sums of the minimum wage for able-bodied people, which is UAH 14.0 83 million. The bail could be put up by the suspect himself and by another individual or legal entity,” the ruling said.
According to the document, in case the bail has been posted, Kozhara will be released from custody, and he will have the following obligations: to visit a government official; not to leave the place where he is registered, lives or is located, otherwise he needs permission from the investigator, prosecutor, or a judge. What is more, he should inform the investigator, prosecutor, a judge about the change of place of residence and place of work. He should also surrender his travel passport or another document allowing him to leave Ukraine. He should refrain from communicating with victims and must be wearing an ankle monitor.
The ruling could be appealed to Kyiv’s Court of Appeals within five days.
As UNIAN reported earlier, ex-head of the Inter TV channel, general director of the Atlantic Group holding Serhiy Starytsky was shot dead in the house of Kozhara and his wife, Maryna Kozerod, in the village of Chaiky outside Kyiv on February 21.
The incident was reported to the police by Kozerod. The preliminary theory was that the victim committed suicide while Kozhara and his wife were in other rooms of the house. Police at the scene seized a firearm, cartridges and a cartridge case.
Criminal proceedings were opened under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code (intentional homicide) while “suicide” remained a major theory.
On February 22, the police reported that the criminal proceedings had been re-qualified from suicide to intentional homicide. On March 4, an investigative experiment took place as part of the case, but its conclusions are not to be disclosed being confidential while the pretrial investigation is under way.
On March 25, the ex-minister was detained by police.
The prosecutor demanded that the suspect be remanded in custody for 60 days.
