#45 - JRL 2009-177 - JRL Home
Ukraine Law Office Confirms President Was Deliberately Poisoned in 2004

KYIV. Sept 23 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General on Wednesday confirmed that President Viktor Yushchenko was deliberately poisoned with dioxin in 2004 "as an attempt on his life" and dismissed allegations that blood samples taken from him had dioxin injected in them by U.S. intelligence services to feign poisoning.

In a statement in response to the allegations of feigned poisoning, made in a report several days ago by Larysa Cherednichenko, a former head of the office's investigation supervision department, and confirmed by a parliamentary commission, the office said its investigation into Yushchenko's poisoning "has been comprehensive, complete and objective."

On Tuesday, the ad hoc parliamentary commission investigating Yushchenko's poisoning released a statement claiming that there is evidence of manipulation with blood samples taken from Yushchenko, accusing the Office of the Prosecutor General of only investigating one scenario of the case, and demanding the reinstatement of Cherednichenko, who lost her job at the supervisory department after submitting her report.

The office said it had scrutinized various scenarios beside that of attempted assassination, including the possibilities of food poisoning, dioxin poisoning through negligence, and use of cosmetics by Yushchenko, and that none of those scenarios had been confirmed.

"The investigators have established that V. Yushchenko was deliberately poisoned with (dioxin) as an attempt on his life," the statement said.

"Conclusions by forensic medical experts, V. Yushchenko's disease records containing results of regular laboratory investigations of his biological indicators for the period from January 2005 to June 2008, and evidence from physicians, scientists and experts overturn the theory of 'artificial creation of evidence of poisoning' via the enrichment of V. Yushchenko's blood with dioxin by operatives from American special services, a theory presented in L. Cherednichenko's report," the office said.

The statement said Cherednichenko had evaded giving specific evidence to support her allegations and explaining the reasons for the report.

The statement also said her dismissal had nothing to do with her allegations and was a part of a staffing reorganization that had been planned long before she submitted her report.

Nor has Cherednichenko been discharged from the prosecution service and measures are under way to find her another job, the office said.

The statement ended with an appeal to politicians, officials and ordinary people to avoid statements or acts that could impede the investigation of the case.

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