The FINANCIAL — According to RIA Novosti, German prosecutors have decided not to investigate allegations of a drunken brawl in Frankfurt airport involving the Ukrainian interior minister, the Ukrainskaya Pravda web site said on May 18.
"The prosecutor's office under the land court of the city of Frankfurt-am-Main decided not to carry out a preliminary investigation regarding Yury Lutsenko as it has not found sufficient grounds and evidence for it," the report said, citing a letter from Lutsenko's lawyer in Germany.
German newspaper Bild reported earlier that airport officials refused to allow Lutsenko and his 19-year-old son to board a flight to Seoul on May 4 as they were both extremely drunk and behaving inappropriately. It said they were arrested after fighting with and injuring police officers who were called to the scene.
The minister has said he will sue the newspaper for publishing false information. He offered his resignation, and parliament suspended him from his duties for the time of the investigation.
Ukrainskaya Pravda also said investigation will not be carried out regarding Lutsenko's son. However, the probe could be resumed should new facts appear.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has said the accounts of the incident were based on media reports and were not true. Lutsenko said German police had apologized to him over the incident.
He also said the situation had been used by opponents pursuing their own interests amid ongoing domestic political disputes.
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