Poroshenko to transfer 1.75 mln won from BBC to Ukrainian volunteers

Former president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko will donate UAH 1.75 million won in a defamation case against BBC to the NGO “Come Back Alive” and a volunteer from Lviv, founder of the NGO “Help the Front”, Bohdan Masliak.

Poroshenko announced this decision during a meeting with founders of the two NGOs, Vitaliy Deyneha and Bohdan Masliak, on Thursday, the website of the NGO “Come Back Alive” reports.

"The funds will be divided in equal parts between the charitable organizations. Each of them will receive UAH 875,000," reads the statement.

It is also reported that the NGO “Come Back Alive” plans to spend money on the organization of the national selection of members of Ukrainian national team to take part in the Invictus Games.

“We have not made a final decision yet, but the money is most likely to be used for organizing the national selection of the Ukrainian team to participate in the Invictus Games in The Hague in 2020,” Deineha commented.

The head of the NGO also stressed that “Come Back Alive” is an apolitical charitable organization that does not campaign for any politicians, although it reserves the right to criticize them.

As reported, in May 2018, some media outlets with reference to a BBC journalistic investigation reported that Petro Poroshenko had procured or authorised a corrupt payment of $400,000 to be made to Michael Cohen, the personal lawyer of Donald Trump, to extend a brief meeting between Poroshenko and President Trump, that had already been agreed, into more substantial talks. The Administration of the President of Ukraine denied that information.

On September 21, 2018, it became known that Poroshenko sued BBC for defamation.

On March 28, 2019, BBC apologised to Poroshenko for untrue allegation and announced it would pay him damages.

ol