Former general of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine Alexey Pukach sitting on the bench of Pechorsky court of Kiev on the charge of murder of the journalist George Gongadze gave the names of customers of murder of the editor of "The Ukrainian Truth". As he said, it is the ex-president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, the speaker of the Supreme Rada Vladimir Litvin and Yury Kravchenko - ex-head of the Ministry of Interior who committed suicide. Criminal case against former president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma was brought on March, 21st, 2011. He is accused of abuse of power which subsequently led to the murder of the journalist George Gongadze. Leonid Kuchma gave written undertaking not to leave.
Gongadze disappeared on September, 16th, 2000. Decapitated corpse who, on conclusions of experts, could belong to the journalist was found out in November of the same year in the wood of the Kiev region. In 2009 they found in the Kiev region remains of a skull which, under the statement of the State Office of Public Prosecutor, belong to George Gongadze. However a body hasn't been buried till now as mother of the journalist Lesya Gongadze refuses to recognize that the remains found belong to her son.
In November, 2000 leader of the Socialist Party Alexander Moroz made public in parliament audio records made by Nikolay Melnichenko which, as he said, confirmed participation of by the time acting president Leonid Kuchma in disappearance of Gongadze.
In 2008 three former militiamen - colonels Valery Kostenko and Nikolay Protasov, major Alexander Popovich - were recognized guilty of committing of murder of the journalist and were sentenced by court to 12 and 13 years of imprisonment.
In July, 2009 Alexay Pukach who long time hid way from investigation was also detained in the Zhitomir region.
One more figurant of the case - ex-head of the Ministry of Interior Yury Kravchenko - was found at home dead with two gunshot wounds in the head on March, 4th, 2005 (official cause of death is suicide). The day before the ex-minister was called in for questioning under the case of George Gongadze's murder.
The trial over Pukach passes behind closed doors without presence of press. At court session Alexey Pukach recognized that he with his own hand committed murder of George Gongadze.
The journalist Alexey Podolsky who passes in case of George Gongadze's murder as victim told about sensational admissions of the former militia general.
Alexey Podolsky told that the ex-head of the surveillance department of Ministry of Interior Pukach added that after the murder he personally met customers of the crime.
"Litvin was present at that meeting. I was presented to him as the head of investigation who took Gongadze away and killed him. Kravchenko assured Litvin that he is devoted to the president and would execute all his orders. At that Litvin nodded", - ITAR-TASS quotes Alexey Pukach's admissions made at judicial session according to Podolsky.
- Vladimir Litvin is the second person in the state by virtue of his position, the speaker of unicameral Ukrainian parliament which means much more, than the Russian one, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov explains the situation. - I don't remember that in the modern European history operating official of such level was accused of similar criminal offense. It's, undoubtedly, political crisis in Ukraine - though crisis for Ukraine is almost a norm now, not an exception. The second problem is that acting president Yanukovych is a kind of Kuchma's successor. He would hardly make himself separated from "the president-killer", that is the main charge against Yanukovych and his administration in criminality of the mode gets serious evidentiary base. Timoshenko's imprisonment under much less clear charge won't rescue situation - the Party of Regions and the president put forward by it would have to explain a lot to the public.
