KIEV, July 20 - RAPSI. The trial in the second case against former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko has been adjourned until July 25 in order to allow the defendant and his defense sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the Prosecutors Offices amended charges.
The prosecution changed the charges facing former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko from abuse of office to neglect of office.
This second criminal case against Lutsenko is based on accusations of illegal eavesdropping and spying on the driver of former First Deputy Chief of Ukrainian Security Service Vladimir Satsyuk. The matter is being considered part of former President Viktor Yushchenko's poisoning case.
According to the prosecutor, the change to the charges was necessitated by the fact that during the trial it was established that Lutsenko did not know the investigation into driver Valentin Davydenko had ended.
In the first case, the Pechorsky District Court in Kiev sentenced Lutsenko on February 27 to four years in prison for state property conversion and abuse of office. The appeals court upheld the judgment in full.
The European Court of Human Rights upheld Lutsenko's complaint against his arrest and detention during the investigation into his case. Lutsenko claimed that the authorities' conduct violated his right to freedom and privacy.
The Strasbourg court accepted his arguments and ruled that he should receive 15,000 euros in moral damages.