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Ukraine Prosecutor Accuses Ex-President in Journalist Death


Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma arrives at the public prosecutor's office in Kiev, March 28, 2011.
Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma arrives at the public prosecutor's office in Kiev, March 28, 2011.
A top Ukrainian prosecutor says his office has collected enough evidence to prove that former President Leonid Kuchma was involved in the 2000 murder of an investigative journalist.

Ukraine's First Deputy Prosecutor-General Renat Kuzmin made the comments in an interview with Russia's Ekho Moskvy radio Wednesday.

Georgiy Gongadze was the founder of the Ukrainska Pravda news site, and had been investigating alleged corruption in Kuchma's government when his headless body was found in a forest outside the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

In January, a former top surveillance official was sentenced for his involvement in the death.

Kuchma was investigated for the killing but charges against him were dropped. The former president has denied any involvement in the crime.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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