Russian Investigators Questioning United Energy Systems of Ukraine

Prosecutor General Mykhailo Potebenko told a press conference on November 3 that Ukraine had formally applied for the extradition of former Premier Pavlo Lazarenko, now held in San Francisco detention. “The process is already in progress; we are waiting for the presidential elections in the US.” Mr. Potebenko confirmed there is material evidence of the former head of government transferring funds into the accounts of some people’s deputies and said he intended to raise this issue in Verkhovna Rada. Simultaneously, the Prosecutor General also announced that the extradition of the People’s Deputy Viktor Zherdytsky, arrested in Hanover on October 11, was in progress. In addition the Prosecutor-General stated that Vice Premier Yuliya Tymoshenko was summoned last Thursday to the Prosecutor General’s office to be interrogated by Russian investigators making inquiries into “bribery in the Russian Federation’s defense ministry,” in which some Ukrainian officials are allegedly involved. As Ms. Tymoshenko failed to turn up on Thursday, she was again summoned on Friday, but she again did not show up at the prosecutors’ office on the grounds of being otherwise engaged. Deputy Prosecutor General Mykola Obykhod said Ms. Tymoshenko had been summoned to his office in connection with the investigation of some United Energy Systems of Ukraine executives who had committed unlawful actions on the territory of Russia, Interfax-Ukraine reports.