The lawyers Ihor Golovan and Illya Novikov blasted leniency of police in handling of the incident adding they will file a complaint over ‘inaction of National police’ that failed to file a charging document according to regulations.

According to Ihor Golovan,  police officers reported the offense as a misdemeanor meaning   the offender can get away with lighter penalty.

Poroshenko’s lawyer  argued  the case is allegedly stalled by the ‘mastermind’ behind the attack who has ‘great powers’ to interfere with investigation.

He also alleged that the offender can ‘disappear’ adding correct charges and following criminal case procedures will not only help to ‘properly investigate and trace the attack organizers’ but ‘save the person who was drawn into this crime’.

His colleаgue Illya Novikov argued the police failure to file a criminal charge means the attacker ‘was given the guarantee he would be protected’ [from a criminal liability].  He said filing a complaint over law-enforcement inaction comes as a ‘signal’ to criminals like the one who attacked Poroshenko that such ‘guarantees’ will not keep them ‘immune’ from prosecution.

 

Police tepid response to the incident also drew criticism from Ukrainian ‘European Solidarity’ MP Maksym Savrasov who claimed his report on the crime  was disregarded.

 

Former SBU general Viktor Kononenko who witnessed the attack and also filed a police report claimed law-enforcement investigation ignored his allegations. He stated the attack must be qualified as ‘violence against a statesman’ under art.346.  of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.

He argued, ‘we don’t have this goal to put the attacker in prison. This person was set up by the attack organizers, by state authorities.’

You can learn more about the attack on the Ukrainian opposition leader here