We defend the public’s right to know how Zelenskyy is implementing sanctions – Ilya Novikov on the continuation of open sessions of the Supreme Court

Petro Poroshenko’s lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said in a comment after the end of the court hearing that the court supported the position of Poroshenko’s defense, that society should see the process of considering the lawsuit to lift illegal sanctions.

This was reported by the press service of “European Solidarity” .

“The court ruled that parts of the materials that contain the DSK stamp (for official use) will be examined in a closed session. But this is only part of this proceeding. This does not mean that the court is closing its doors to society and the press. It only means that we will have the opportunity to try to explain to the court why these documents are not a reason to keep these doors closed in the future. They explained that if materials are examined in a closed session that later turn out to be already published, or that do not contain information that is not subject to disclosure at all, this is a reason to return to a completely open regime,” he said.

The lawyer emphasized that not only Petro Poroshenko is currently being defended.

“We are protecting the right of society to know how the president works and on what basis he works. On what basis he makes decisions. In what way he makes them. And we are forced to protect this right, because no one but us can file this lawsuit,” he added.

Novikov noted that the international community, representatives of diplomatic institutions, the media, and civil society have the right to know the president’s arguments in court.

“When the president comments to the media that I have imposed sanctions, because you will be shocked there, there is such a lot of money, billions – that is normal. But how does he comment on this in court, where there is already responsibility and you cannot say everything that comes to mind? That is another question,” he claims.

The lawyer emphasized that regardless of the position of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Office of the President, and the National Security and Defense Council, the most important thing is to prevent at least a minimal part of this process from being closed to the public.

“Part of the meeting will be held behind closed doors, but we have taken on the responsibility to promise that all documents, including those that the government and the President’s Office would like to hide from society, will be made public,” Novikov summed up.

Recall that during the Supreme Court hearing in the Petro Poroshenko case, the judge asked why representatives of the president and the government did not provide documents on the basis of which sanctions were imposed against the fifth president. Representatives of the authorities were unable to provide an answer, shifting responsibility to other bodies, which caused the judge’s indignation.

Earlier, Petro Poroshenko, before the start of the Supreme Court session, stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decree on the introduction of sanctions should be canceled , because the president’s representatives have not been able to provide any documents on the grounds for such sanctions for five months.

Later, during the meeting itself, Petro Poroshenko noted that closing the court hearing on the illegality of sanctions from the public would mean turning Ukraine into Russia.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram.