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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says UAH 40 billion, or US$1.5 billion, in recovered assets from fugitive ex-President Viktor Yanukovych and his allies, which has already been transferred to the state budget, will be spent on strengthening defense and infrastructure projects, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
"This is an act of the restoration of justice, and the money will be spent on investment in Ukrainian defense and infrastructure projects," Poroshenko said on Sunday, May 14.
"Confiscation and return of assets worth almost UAH 40 billion to the state budget were believed to be absolutely impossible. Ukraine has not seen such a precedent before. Because if 1.5 billion or 1.3 billion [dollars] is available, there definitely could be someone who could be bought to prevent a case from being brought to court or an investigation from being completed," he said.
"And some people, including those from politicians, believed such a model could work. I can tell you that some people have popped up with such an offer, but I think this is a matter of honor for the Prosecutor General and the Prosecutor's Office to ensure that the case comes to trial and is given an appropriate verdict," he said.
Read alsoUkraine to appeal against ruling on "Yanukovych's debt" early June"Some from our opposition were very worried about the future of Yanukovych and his assets. As you can see, there is still no one who denies or disputes this decision. Moreover, the deadline for appeal has expired and the money stolen from Ukrainian citizens has been sent to the accounts of the State Treasury," he said.
"The total amount that has been mobilized this year by the Prosecutor General's Office under the leadership of [Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy] Lutsenko exceeds UAH 50 billion. I think this makes a very positive impression," Poroshenko added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, a court decision to transfer $1.5 billion seized from the accounts of Yanukovych and his allies to the state budget came into force on April 28.
The management of state-run Oschadbank acted in line with the court's ruling and, together with the State Treasury, transferred these funds onto the state accounts.
Previously, Poroshenko said the money confiscated from Yanukovych and his team would be used primarily to strengthen the Ukrainian army.