KIEV, August 11 (Itar-Tass) —— Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has vowed that he will not interfere in the operation of Ukrainian courts. The presidential press-service said Yanukovich made a statement to this effect in a special message to the president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus.
“The judicial system of Ukraine is independent and unbiased in its activities, it is guided only by the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine. I cannot and will not interfere with the work of the Ukrainian courts. If I do, the problems will get more significant. Any political or other interference in the administration of justice is unacceptable,” Yanukovich said.
Earlier, the president of the Czech Republic sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, in which he said that he had no reason to distrust Ukrainian justice and question the independence of the judiciary. However, Klaus wanted to be sure that the “case of ex-premier Yulia Timoshenko is not a political one, and the court will not deal with personal and political differences.”
Yanukovich told Klaus, that none of the trials in Ukraine “involving former public servants is not and cannot be politically motivated.”
“As the guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine I am responsible for this personally,” said Yanukovich. “And I believe that for every citizen of the country today it is important to see that all citizens are equal before the law and the court as an independent branch of government can pronounce a just verdict.”
Yanukovich said in his letter that Ukraine had chosen the path towards the enforcement of European principles and that decision was irreversible.
“I want to assure you that my activities as the president of Ukraine and the activities of the executive branch of our government are geared to the establishment in Ukraine of the norms and principles that govern the European community – the rule of law, the protection of human rights and freedoms, and the promotion of democracy,” Yanukovich said.