On 9 October, the Unified State Register of Court Decisions made public the case against a former official of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Valeriy Palchuk. He will stand trial on charges of high treason.
The former official is accused of active participation in the illegal vote, which took place on 11 April 2014, to hold a ‘referendum’ and adopt a new Constitution of Crimea after the occupation of the peninsula by Russian troops.
The prosecution presented evidence confirming his role in these events. The Prosecutor’s Office provided copies of articles from online publications, according to which the accused had headed the Standing Commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea on Regional Development and Housing and Communal Services since 28 February 2014. In addition, it was found that he was a member of a pro-Russian party that supported the occupation regime.
One of the articles states that the accused participated in meetings with representatives of Russian companies, discussing plans for the development of enterprises in Crimea after its seizure by the Russian Federation.
In connection with these events, on 15 March 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine prematurely terminated the powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea, which was the result of the illegal ‘referendum’ of 16 March 2014 and the subsequent occupation of the peninsula.
The defendant is being tried under part 1 of article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – treason, for which he faces a long prison term.