Ukraine has nothing to do with the recent abduction of ex-judge of a Ukrainian court Mykola Chaus, wanted for bribery, from the territory of Moldova.
That's according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba who spoke over the phone with his Moldovan counterpart Aureliu Ciocoi, MFA press service reports.
According to Kuleba, Ukrainian law enforcers were expecting that once judicial examination of Chaus's appeal of Moldova's refusal to grant him asylum was com[pleted, he would be extradited to Ukraine within the framework of international legal assistance based on European conventions and bilateral treaties on extradition and mutual assistance in criminal cases.
Read alsoUkraine's fugitive ex-judge "kidnapped" in neighboring MoldovaThe minister stressed that Ukraine was not involved in the former judge's abduction.
To establish all circumstances, in particular to locate the former judge, Kuleba proposed that a joint working group be set up.
Kuleba also assured that Moldova "was, is. and will remain a friend of Ukraine."
"The Ukrainian side is convinced that someone is trying to exploit the situation to their advantage, and this is forces that don't only oppose further deepening Ukrainian-Moldovan cooperation, they also aim at hindering the development of relations that's positive for both countries, strengthening the European prospects of Ukraine and Moldova," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Abduction of ex-judge in Moldova: Background
On April 3, Mykola Chaus, an ex-judge of a Ukrainian court put on the international wanted list by Interpol on suspicion of bribery, was abducted in Moldova's Chisinau.
On April 5, Minister of Internal Affairs of Moldova, Pavel Voicu, said Chaus had been kidnapped by foreign nationals who had already crossed out of Moldova and into Ukraine.
