On 28 February 2020 Petro Poroshenko, the fifth President of Ukraine, came to the State Bureau of Investigations for questioning as witness. Just outside of the investigations bureau there was a manifestation ongoing against political persecution of Poroshenko as the leader of opposition that gathered people’s deputies of Poroshenko’s political party “European Solidarity”, activists, volunteers, and a youth wing of the “European Solidarity” political party.
Petro Poroshenko made the following statement: “We have come today to the State Bureau of Investigations knowing that it is just a farce, knowing that this is a feature of political persecution. And knowing that it is just one thing that this authority can do which is to play performance. To perform after the “bread and circus!” principle. A year ago they promised the end to an era of poverty, and now there is need for rendering an account”.
Petro Poroshenko turned to President Zelensky: «Volodymyr Oleksandrovych, get down to the functions of president. Defend the country, strengthen the international solidarity, help settling social problems of the people and don’t turn into Yanukovych. He had a very bad past and his future is no bright either. Leave the judiciary and law-enforcement systems in peace, as their aim is to be independent. Because what we heard in the “Truba tapes”, a former director of the State Bureau of Investigations, it was about a daily interference with the work of investigators and judges. This is being a criminal crime, don’t get into this» – Petro Poroshenko called upon.
He also stressed that the authority tries to divert attention from its miscalculations as regards the security challenges.
“Just look at what has happened. The assault on the touchline on 18 February after the so called disengagement, which is not even mentioned in the Minsk Arrangements, has not led to peace. The promise, that getting peace is simple and the only thing that is needed is to stop shooting, leads to capitulation of Ukraine. They have stopped construction of houses for military servicemen, development of rural and telemedicine, decentralization with provision of communities with financial resources. They are lagging behind in social expenditures, economic growth, investment climate and the only thing they can propose to the nation is the show. We will not be a part of their show. However, as the law-abiding Ukrainians we will go to the courts, we will prove that I was right when I signed the Minsk Arrangements because with that document we succeeded in consolidating the international coalition in support of Ukraine and introducing sanctions against the aggressor – the Russian Federation” – Petro Poroshenko reminded.
He stressed that one of the cases, which had been fabricated in the State Bureau of Investigations, was about the PrivatBank nationalization, which saved the nation from bankruptcy. Another one was the so called sailors case, where the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea had taken decision in favor of Ukraine.
“When the order was issued to conduct rotation, which was absolutely an ordinary rotation for ensuring freedom of navigation and the sovereignty of Ukraine in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, we were right. This decision was supported by the international Tribunal in Hamburg” – Petro Poroshenko reminded.