PGO prevents illegal release of Ukrainian ex-finance minister Kolobov in Spain

The PGO press service reported on Monday that it became known from a letter of the Ukrainian Interpol bureau sent to the PGO that a request to receive additional information on Kolobov was received from authorized agencies in Spain. "A copy of the letter that allegedly was signed by Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Stoliarchuk was added to the request. The letter says that Kolobov has the status of a witness, and is not suspected in the criminal case opened against him. The authorized agencies in Spain said that the letter was presented by Kolobov's defenders," the PGO said. The press service said that the letter was not drawn up by PGO and the letter is a fake. The legal defense team of Kolobov had planned to secure the release of the former minister on bail on the basis of the fake letter. "The investigation into the signs of the crime foreseen in Parts 1 and 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine was launched," the press service said. The PGO launched an inquiry against Kolobov under Part 5 Article 191 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (misappropriation, misspending, and abuse of office). On March 23, 2015, the PGO requested the extradition of Kolobov to Ukraine.