Iran changes info on Ukrainian plane's 'black boxes' several times a day - Riaboshapka

30.01.2020 12:50

Ukrinform

Ukraine is ready to involve experts from Iran, France and Canada in the process of reading "black boxes" from a Ukrainian passenger airliner that was shot down near Tehran and insists that flight recorders be analyzed in Ukraine, Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapka has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"The point is not that there is no answer on 'black boxes,' but that these answers change several times a day. Different officials in Iran provide different information, so we don't have a final understanding," Riaboshapka said.

"Our position was and is that the boxes should be examined in Ukraine," he said.

When asked whether the French side will be involved in the process, Riaboshapka said: "We are ready, and the French are ready too. They said they would provide their experts for analysis. We are ready to involve not only representatives of Iran but also French and Canadian experts in this process."

The prosecutor general said that two investigations were actually underway. One is civil, being conducted as part of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, and the other is a criminal investigation.

He also added that the results of the ICAO investigation could be added to the criminal investigation. "In general, a criminal investigation is then held on the basis of conclusions of a civil investigation. That is, it can be a big and important part of a criminal investigation," he added.

When asked where the trial of those guilty of downing the Ukrainian Boeing 737 should take place, Riaboshapka said: "There are different perspectives on this. Since the accident occurred in Iran, Iran needs to ensure an effective investigation and trial. We also have to carry out our own investigation."

A Ukraine International Airlines plane (Flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after taking off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on Wednesday, January 8. There were 176 people on board – nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK).

On January 11, Iran admitted that its military had accidentally shot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accepted full responsibility for the downing of the Ukrainian airliner.