In a statement posted on its website Friday, State Bureau of Investigations confirmed the initial hearing in Petro Poroshenko’s case is set for January 17 with his criminal case to be reviewed by Kyiv Pecherskiy court judge Oleksiy Sokolov.

State prosecutors said the hearing will review their motion seeking taking the former Ukrainian president in custody over charges he is facing in connection to ‘ulawful coal supplies from occupied territories [of Donbas] and abetting terrorists’ organizations of Donetsk and Luhansk separatists’.

The criminal proceedings in Petro Poroshenko’s case drew criticism from Europeans politicians and lawmakers with European Parliament’s member Viola von Cramon-Taubadel arguing the situation ‘reminded her of Viktor Yanukovych times’ when state official went after his political rivals with made-up allegations.