The case is being investigated by Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation / Photo from UNIAN

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has registered a criminal case on the fact of possible treason by former President of Ukraine and incumbent Member of Parliament Petro Poroshenko while signing the Minsk peace deal on Donbas in 2015, the so-called the Minsk Package of Measures of February 12, 2015.

SBI Press Secretary Anzhelika Ivanova told an UNIAN correspondent that a claim seeking a probe into the act of treason had been lodged with the SBI, and after its consideration, a pretrial investigation began on December 10. This was recorded in the State Register of Pretrial Investigations.

Read alsoSBI chief comments on progress in proceedings targeting Poroshenko

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The possible criminal offense is preliminarily qualified under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason).

The claim was filed by former top official during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency, Andriy Portnov.

The latter announced the opening of the case on Telegram.

UNIAN memo. Peace talks on Donbas, eastern Ukraine, were held in Minsk on February 12, 2015. The participants were the then President of Ukraine Poroshenko, the then French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As a result of the negotiations, a set of measures aimed at implementing the Minsk agreements reached in September 2014 was approved. In addition, a declaration was adopted by the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, and Russia in support of these measures.