Court suspends Kherson official Manher from office until April 6

Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has granted a petition from the prosecutor's office and suspended Head of Kherson Regional Council Vladyslav Manher from office until April 6, 2019.

Judge Marian Holovchak read out a respective ruling on Wednesday, the suspect's lawyer, Dmytro Ilchenko, told Ukrinform.

"Shevchenkivsky District Court has suspended Manher for one month, until April 6," he said.

Ilchenko added that Manher's defense team plans to file an appeal against the ruling.

"However, our client was anyway going to use his vacation for the period of the investigation because it is inconvenient to work and stay in Kyiv," the lawyer added.

On February 11, 2019, the Prosecutor General's Office served Manher with a notice of suspicion in organizing the murder of activist Kateryna Handziuk. On February 15, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court chose for Manher the measure of restraint in the form of detention with the possibility of putting up bail of UAH 2.497 million. The bail was posted by the lawyer. The term of the measure of restraint for Manher expired on March 3.

On March 4, Shevchenkivsky District Court rejected a petition from the Prosecutor General's Office to extend the preventive measure for the official.

An employee of Kherson City Council, activist Kateryna Handziuk, was attacked with sulfuric acid on July 31, 2018. She sustained chemical burns to 30% of her body. She died on November 4.

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