Ukraine’s Ex-FM Kozhara Taken into Custody for 2 Months

27 March 2020 17:55

Ex-Foreign Minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara leaving a Kyiv court, Kyiv, Ukraine. March 27, 2020

Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi court has ruled for former foreign minister Leonid Kozhara to be held in custody for two months on charges of murdering former Inter TV channel head Serhiy Starytskyi, with bail set at UAH 14 million ($501,420).

This was reported by a hromadske correspondent from the Shevchenkivskyi court.

An investigation into Starytskyi’s death found that Starytskyi could not have killed himself. According to the prosecutor's office, on February 21 Starytskyi and Kozhara were drinking at the house of the former official. Then a conflict arose between them, which turned into a fight. According to investigators, this is indicated by broken glasses belonging to Kozhara, with the victim’s blood found on the rim.

Investigators say that this gave Kozhara an incentive to murder Starytskyi. He allegedly went upstairs, entered his bedroom and picked up a gun. Subsequently, he hit Starytskyi with the gun in the back of his head in the kitchen, then pressed the trigger.

Starytskyi sustained a gunshot wound to the skull and brain damage, which led to death.

The prosecutor claims that the suspect tried to cover up the crime and committed "a suicide mockup." Starytskyi's family did not believe that the former TV head had committed suicide.

Kozhara’s defense insisted that the court hearings be closed, claiming that their request was tied to an attempt to prevent leaks about possible witnesses, and the trial was partially closed. His lawyers also alleged that there were no conflicts between the victim and accused. They asked the court for different pre-trial detention measures.

They also presented written testimony from Kozhara’s wife, who claimed that her husband was on the second floor of their house during the shooting, and that she was attempting to wrest away a gun from Starytskyi, who was drunk.

The accused himself seemingly expressed regret about Starytskyi’s death, calling it a ‘personal trauma’, and insisted on his innocence in the matter. His lawyers did admit that the suspected murder weapon belong to Kozhara, and that they had both viewed the weapon – as an explanation for Kozhara’s prints on the gun. But, Kozhara’s lawyers argue, he placed the gun back in the cabinet and didn’t shoot it, and they say that experts did not find any evidence of a gunshot on Kozhara’s clothing.