Vilkul caused UAH 15 mln worth of losses to state - Lutsenko

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said this during his speech in the Verkhovna Rada on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The investigation believes that through his deliberate actions Oleksandr Yuriyovych Vilkul committed probable abuse of office, that is, intentionally, in the interests of third parties, an official abused office contrary to the interests of the service, which caused grave consequences to the public interest. In the first episode, the public damage reached 12 million [hryvnias], and in another the losses to the state budget amounted to three million hryvnias. In this regard, the investigation needs to conduct a series of investigative and operational measures with the people's deputy, for which I, as Ukraine's prosecutor general, ask the Verkhovna Rada to decide on removing parliamentary immunity [from Vilkul]," Lutsenko said.

On October 8, the parliament committee on rules of procedure recognized as legitimate tte motions from the Prosecutor General's Office to remove immunity from MPs Vilkul and Dmytro Kolesnikov.

Earlier, at a parliament committee meeting, Lutsenko presented a motion against Vilkul and said that the Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor's office is investigating a criminal case over Vilkul's involvement as Dnipropetrovsk regional governor in the illegal transfer of land plots in 2011.

Investigators charge Vilkul with intentional abuse of office in the interests of third parties, which caused grave consequences to state interests (Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

op