Serhiy Vlasenko: all defendants will be served a summons from the American court

All the defendants in Yulia Tymoshenko’s lawsuit against RosUkrEnergo, its owner Dmytro Firtash and members of the Ukrainian government involved in gas corruption and political repression will receive a summons from the American court, lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko has said.

"The number one question right now is how to deliver the summons to Firtash. We’re working on this," Serhiy Vlasenko said in an interview with Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.

He pointed out that it would be much easier to serve Dmytro Firtash with the summons if he was a civil servant. "But we’ll accomplish a different feat. I won’t reveal the details, but I think that soon we will bother him. Let Mr. Firtash feel nervous anywhere he travels: in any airport of the world, in any restaurant, hotel or boutique in the world he can be served the summons. Mr. Firtash, who tells everyone that he’s an honest businessman, and the gentlemen with him who declare their commitment to democratic principles, knowing that there is a lawsuit against them, are in no hurry to get the summons on their own. This is evidence of their fear," he added.

Serhiy Vlasenko also said that international law includes the so-called Hague process for serving a summons: the New York court gives the summons to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Justice to the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice, the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to the court, and the court to Dmytro Firtash. "This procedure is used when the plaintiff can’t deliver the summons himself. We still haven’t exhausted all ways of delivering the summons to Mr. Firtash," he said.

According to him, Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, President Viktor Yanukovych, and his Chief of Staff Serhiy Lyovochkin will also receive summonses. "I won’t disclose all the secrets, but this will be more interesting than our faction response to the president’s speech in parliament," he added.