MP investigated over fatal traffic incident put under house arrest
The Kyiv Pechersk District Court put lawmaker Andrii Nikolaienko under round-the-clock house arrest for two months, Suspilne news outlet reported on Nov. 9.
Nikolaienko is under investigation for hitting and killing an 18-year-old girl with his car in Zhytomyr Oblast on Nov. 3.
According to the National Police's regional branch, the lawmaker hit the girl as she was walking down a highway in the town of Berezivka. She died at the scene of the accident.
The investigation showed, as cited by Suspilne, that the girl was crossing the road in an improper place.
Nikolaienko will remain under house arrest until Jan. 4 and will be forced to wear an electronic bracelet, Suspilne wrote.
During the court hearing, the prosecutor requested to detain Nikolaienko without bail as a technical examination allegedly showed that his car was moving at 141-153 kilometers per hour.
Nikolaienko's lawyers reportedly argued that the speed examination was biased since an eyewitness estimated the driver's speed at about 80 km per hour. The lawyers insisted that an assessment of the braking distance should also be conducted, according to Suspilne.
Around 20 lawmakers came to the hearing to support Nikolaienko, the media outlet added.
On the day of the incident, Nikolaienko admitted he had struck a person with his car, claiming he was sober and did not violate any traffic rules and that "the tragedy could not be avoided."
