Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on
Thursday accused a former close advisor of complicity in a plot to kill him by
poisoning.
David Zhvania, a key figure in Ukraine's 2004 pro-democracy Orange Revolution,
had been personally involved in a plot to kill him the same year, Yushchenko
told reporters, according to an Interfax news agency report.
Zhvania according to the Ukrainian leader cooperated with former top members of
the country's secret police the SBU to place a theoretically lethal dose of the
poison dioxin in food consumed by Yushchenko in September 2004.
The dioxin left Yushchenko weakened, and his face and body pock- marked for
years. The effects of the poison are according to the Ukrainian President now
"mostly gone," as a result of medical treatment and skin operations.
Yushchenko's identification of Zhvania as complicit in the apparent murder
attempt marked the first time the Ukrainian leader had accused his former
political ally publicly.
Ukrainian media had widely reported Zhvania was among the suspected
co-participants in the poison plot as far back as 2005.
Yushchenko asked by reporters repeatedly refused to name Zhvania as a suspect,
citing a need for an independent criminal investigation.
Zhvania, one of Ukraine's richest citizens, since mid-2006 has repeatedly
claimed the government investigation into Yushchenko's poisoning was
politically-motivated, and aimed primarily at destroying his business empire.
Commenting on Yushchenko's remarks Thursday, Zhvania rejected the president's
accusation outright, saying in part: "There are absolutely no grounds (for
Yushchenko's accusations)...but now there are excellent grounds for
Yushchenko's impeachment."
Three Ukrainian prosecutors-general have attempted, but so far failed, to bring
alleged participants in the Yushchenko poisoning to trail. Top members of the
national spy agency the SBU are thought to have been involved, according to
police statements.
Yushchenko has said "foreign agencies" also participated in the
poison plot, without making clear which country.
A Georgian national, Zhavnia was a key figure of Ukraine's 2004 Orange
Revolution, which propelled Yushchenko into office. During the mass protests
Zhvania worked as a top street demonstration leader for Yushchenko, and in the
subsequent elections was a top financier of Yushchenko's campaign, dpa reported.