The Main Investigation Directorate of the General Prosecutor Office of Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings against the former President of Ukraine, the former Prosecutor General, the former Minister of the Interior and other senior officials on charges of unlawful pressure exerted on Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine to remove him from governance of the UOC (MP).
According to the press-service of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, in the course of checks conducted at the request of one of the MPs it was found that Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine maintained the position of non-interference of the Church in politics, thus causing dissatisfaction of the former President of Ukraine, who was seeking to secure the UOC-MP’s support in the elections in 2015.
After unsuccessful attempts to persuade Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine to resign his office, the former Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine through the effort of his subordinate staff and pursuant to the instructions of the former President of Ukraine organized physical isolation of Metropolitan Oleksander, who is the personal secretary and confidant of the UOC-MP Primate Metropolitan Volodymyr.
One of the conditions for Metropolitan Oleksandr’s release from isolation was to persuade Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine to resign his office.
Based on this fact the Main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigation the information on the former officials’ commission of a criminal offense under Part 3. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of power or authority).
The pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings is carried out by the Main Investigation Directorate of the General Prosecutor’s Office.