Poroshenko Arrives in Ukraine: Customs Check, Court and Treason Suspicion

The former president said there was nothing to worry about.

On the morning of January 17, former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko arrived at the airport of the Polish capital, Warsaw, to check in for his flight. 

He posed for photos with passersby and smiled. Poroshenko was accompanied by his wife Maryna, as well as People's Deputies from his party Artur Herasymov, Oleksiy Honcharenko, Viktoria Siumar, Akhtem Chiygoz, Mykola Knyazhytskyi and Rostyslav Pavlenko. 

The former president was also flying with his lawyers Ihor Holovan and Ilya Novikov. Jostling broke out at passport control due to journalists. The MP said he had slept well and had nothing to worry about. 

As of 9:20, between 3,000 and 4,000 people had gathered near Kyiv “Kyiv” airport (Zhuliany), where Poroshenko had flown in. People shouted “Zelya out!” and held placards with slogans: “No to dictatorship,” “Ukraine doesn't need Ze-love,” “Ukraine needs Porokh,” “I'll be back, Poroshenko,” “Got gunpowder? We'll give you fire.” 

Leaders of the European Solidarity party and musicians performed on stage. 

When the fifth president arrived in Kyiv, his passport was taken at customs. 

Petro Poroshenko
former president of Ukraine

They took my passport. They are not allowing me onto the territory of Ukraine. 

Officers of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) arrived at customs control. Jostling broke out between Poroshenko's supporters and border guards. A few minutes later, his passport was returned to him. 

Poroshenko said this happened after an SBI investigator's instruction. At the airport, the former president said that SBI officers, “some of whom disguised themselves as border guards, spent 15 minutes trying to prevent” him from entering Ukraine. 

According to him, his passport was allegedly taken “to establish his identity.” Poroshenko then addressed his supporters. He said they wanted to detain him at the airport but “were scared of the people.” 

Later, the SBI explained that officers had tried to serve procedural documents on Poroshenko at the airport, but he refused to accept them. 

Tetiana Sapian
SBI communications adviser

SBI officers did indeed try to serve procedural documents, namely a court summons. 

According to her, Poroshenko refused to receive the documents. The SBI also claims that people accompanying the politician resisted law enforcement officers. 

Sapian said Poroshenko's defenders said they would receive the documents after passing passport control, but then “artificially created jostling and disappeared.” 

Answering a question about whether Poroshenko could be detained, the SBI adviser said that “force is the last thing that will be used in this process.” 

At the same time, the State Border Guard Service said border guards did not obstruct Poroshenko's return to Ukraine. 

“When Petro Poroshenko crossed the state border, border guards strictly observed the requirements of the law. During the monitoring measures for Poroshenko's arrival in Ukraine, border guards informed law enforcement representatives. Border guards also recorded manipulations by certain individuals who claimed that this person was allegedly being prevented from entering Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement. 

The border service explained that it informed law enforcement about Poroshenko's arrival because the SBGS at the border is responsible for searching for individuals hiding from pre-trial investigation bodies and the court. 

According to the Constitution, no citizen of Ukraine may be restricted in the right to return to Ukraine. “It is a pity that not all citizens, including People's Deputies and the fifth president of Ukraine, are aware of Article 33 of the Constitution of Ukraine,” the statement said. 

It is noted that the border control process itself takes some time, but Poroshenko was allowed into Ukraine immediately after his documents were processed. 

Poroshenko's lawyers told the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv that he formally is not a suspect in a case of treason and aiding a terrorist organization by buying coal in occupied areas of Ukraine in 2014-2015. 

Ihor Holovan
lawyer for Petro Poroshenko

The defense cannot understand procedural rights and obligations on the grounds that Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko does not have the status of a suspect in this proceeding. We have not seen a single document confirming Poroshenko's notice of suspicion. The only document we ever saw — and I even published it online — is a letter signed on behalf of Bondarenko, in which the surname, time and date fields are not filled in. Consequently, there is no document or other evidence confirming the fact that Poroshenko was notified of suspicion. In any case, we have not seen it. 

Later, the former president's lawyer asked for 2-3 hours to review the case file. The court announced a recess until 14:00. 

An adviser to the head of the Office of the President believes that Poroshenko's speech to his supporters after returning to the country shows his disrespect for procedural rules. 

Mykhailo Podolyak
adviser to the head of the Office of the President

If a person hurriedly leaves the country upon seeing law enforcement officers nearby, it is quite logical that returning such a person to the country involves some simple procedures. Receiving a procedural document and appearing in court are things that are not complicated or unusual. But when a person turns this into a kind of performance with extras, when every step at the airport is accompanied by hysterical shouting, this clearly indicates extreme exaltation and disrespect for basic procedural rules. 

According to him, the former president's actions have “not the slightest connection to real politics.”