MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI) - Ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych has appealed a decision by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office to hold a pre-trial inquiry in absentia, Hromadske.tv reported citing his lawyer Vitaly Serdyuk.

“This decision could have been made if Yanukovych was on the international wanted list, but the investigation has concluded and there are now no grounds for this legal action. If our appeal fails, we’ll go to the European Court for Human Rights,” the lawyer said.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office summoned Yanukovych for an interview on August 11 via the government’s official newspaper, Uryadovy Kuryer. The interview concerned the embezzlement of property. The Prosecutor General’s Office further announced that it does not have the facilities to hold an interview by video conference. Also, the agency noted that they will hold an interview if Yanukovych goes to Russian law enforcement officials or a consular office in Russia.

Serdyuk stressed that Yanukovych cannot attend the interview in Kiev on August 11.

In early 2015, it was reported that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office brought charges against Yanukovych in absentia and addressed Russia with a request to extradite the former president. Yanukovych is suspected of organizing a criminal group, abuse of power, embezzling state property and other offenses. The Russian Minister of Justice claims he has not received any documents on extraditing Yanukovych to Kiev.

In late July, a Ukrainian TV channel announced that Yanukovych agreed to testify by video conference. Ukrainskaya Pravda online newspaper reported that Yanukovych’s attorneys complained about the Prosecutor General’s Office refusal to an interview by video link.