Court in Kyiv arrests ex-finance minister Kolobov in absentia, says PGO

The Pechersky district court in Kyiv has issued a ruling for the arrest of former finance minister of Ukraine Yuriy Kolobov, the Prosecutor General's Office has reported.

"On January 19, 2015, the Pechersky district court in Kyiv under a request of Prosecutor General's Office issued a ruling to arrest former finance minister of Ukraine Yuriy Kolobov," the press service of Prosecutor General's Office reported on Tuesday.

The press service said that the ruling gives the necessary legal grounds for investigators to apply to the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia for Kolobov’s extradition.

As reported, Interpol has put eight former senior Ukrainian officials on its international wanted list, however Ukraine had filed requests for the issue of red notices for a further 22 former officials, Kolobov among them.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office said on October 1, 2014 that it had launched proceedings against former Finance Minister Kolobov on suspicion of his complicity in the embezzlement of state funds totaling UAH 220 million.

"The ex-minister is suspected of organizing the preparation of a draft law to make changes to the state budget, in criminal collusion with other senior officials, and of violating the terms of tendering for the purchase of a stake in PJSC Ukrtelecom. This led to the allocation of UAH 220 million for the acquisition, at the expense of the state and of telecommunications equipment for building a special telecommunications network," the office said in a statement.

Previously, Ukrtelecom had claimed that it had funded the creation of the special network from its own resources.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine