U.S., EU Ambassadors Meet Jailed Ukrainian Ex-Minister

Yuriy Lutsenko denies any wrongdoing, saying his imprisonment is politically motivated.

The U.S. and EU ambassadors to Ukraine have visited jailed former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko at a prison labor camp.

U.S. Ambassador John Tefft told journalists after the meeting on November 26 that he and EU Ambassador Jan Tombinski will inform their governments about Lutsenko's health.

He added that the U.S. government has stated several times in the past that Lutsenko's case is an example of selective justice and that the former minister should be released.

Tombinski said that the EU will monitor Lutsenko's appeal hearings.

Lutsenko is serving a four-year prison term for embezzlement, abuse of office, and ordering illegal surveillance of suspects while investigating the poisoning of former President Viktor Yushchenko during his 2004 presidential campaign.

Lutsenko denies any wrongdoing, saying his imprisonment is politically motivated.

Based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax