Poroshenko to sue border guards' refusal to let him travel abroad – lawyer
No one has the right to prevent Members of Parliament (MP) from traveling both within Ukraine and abroad, the lawyer of MP Petro Poroshenko (European Solidarity faction), Ihor Holovan, has said Thursday.
"Petro Poroshenko was once again not allowed through the state border, important meetings to protect the interests of Ukraine were disrupted again. This time the officials of the 6th Volyn border guard detachment distinguished themselves, for whom an authoritative instruction is worth more than the clear and precise norm of Article 26 of the law on the status of People's Deputy of Ukraine, according to which the constitutional rights and freedoms of a people's deputy cannot be restricted even in conditions of martial law or state of emergency. No one has the right to prevent MPs from traveling both within Ukraine and abroad," he said on Facebook.
The lawyer also said that the officials concealed the grounds for their actions.
"According to their claim, Petro Poroshenko 'could not provide to passport control documents confirming the basis for traveling abroad.' What exactly was Petro Poroshenko 'unable to provide'? 'The highest permission'? Border guards are silent about it, and therefore we will again find out this secret in court," he said.
As reported, Poroshenko during a speech from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada on Thursday said that he was illegally not allowed to cross the Ukrainian border when he was on his way to a meeting with the leaders of the European People's Party in Brussels.
In response to Poroshenko's statement, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk confirmed that Poroshenko indeed had a signed business trip to a meeting of the Political Assembly of the European People's Party, which was held on January 13-14 in the city of Brussels. The trip was signed for the period from January 11 (departure) to January 15 (return).