Poroshenko's assets impounded
The European Solidarity political party has said that the decision of Kyiv's Pecherskyy district court to arrest Petro Poroshenko's assets is illegal and unlawful.
In a statement published on its official website, the European Solidarity described the arrest of the property as an attempt to create obstacles for the opposition's activities.
The party also said that the court also arrested the assets of the news-based TV channels Pryamyy and 5 Kanal.
"It is a public knowledge since November that Pryamyy and 5 Kanal do not belong to Poroshenko. But this does not stop the presidential office from arresting them, demonstrating the total legal 'arbitrariness' and its true intention, which is to purge the country's information space," the party said.
"Ukraine is not Russia. Ukraine is not Belarus. Ukraine is not Kazakhstan. And Ukraine is not Malorossiya of Yanukovych's times, to whom Zelenskyy becomes increasingly similar," the statement reads.
Poroshenko's lawyers to appeal property arrest
Poroshenko's lawyer Ihor Holovan has called the ruling to arrest the ex-president's property "an absolute lawlessness and political persecution".
"We saw how the ruling was read and we know that a flash drive was most likely handed over. To write such a list in the short time that was available was hardly possible," Holovan said.
He noted that prosecutors did not provide any evidence that Poroshenko was served a notice of suspicion.
"We see absolute lawlessness, disregard for the norms of law aimed solely at one thing - to prevent the opposition leader from carrying out political activity," Holovan said.
The lawyer also said that they would file an appeal and contact the ECHR.
Under the court ruling, all land plots owned by Poroshenko, legal entities connected to him, all real estate, bank accounts and corporate shares have been seized.
The court is not expected to be published until 14 January.
Poroshenko to return on 17 Jan
Ex-President Poroshenko, suspected of treason and aiding the terrorist Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, has said that he will return to Ukraine on 17 January.
He promised to attend the court hearing that will select a measure of restraint for him and meet Prosecutor-General Iryna Venediktova, exercising the MP's right to an urgent appointment.
"I am not coming back to defend myself against Zelenskyy but to defend Ukraine against incompetent leadership and external aggression," he said.