In Ukrainian prisons there were 30 inmates crammed in a cell and they slept on a roster basis because of lack of beds, a lawyer from the east-European state said in court yesterday.

Viacheslav Golovinov was testifying during the extradition proceedings of 39-year-old martial artist Andriy Pashkov, who is wanted by the Ukrainian authorities for the alleged misappropriation of €1 million between January and April 2007.

The lawyer, who represents the accused in Ukraine, said he had made a request to see all the court documents but the prosecuting officer refused even though he had a right by law to see them.

He said that since Mr Pashkov was not in Ukraine, because he had fled due to threats, the officer had doubted whether he was actually representing him.

Dr Golovinov said that, judging by the Ukrainian court documents he saw in Malta, there did not seem to be enough evidence against his client for the case to even start.

He gave a grim account of Ukraine's human rights record.

Dr Golovinov was brought to Malta by lawyer Franco Debono, who is representing Mr Pashkov here, to highlight the serious human rights breaches in the Ukraine. The defence is arguing that if Mr Pashkov is extradited to the Ukraine he would be subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment.

When questioned about procedures during investigations, Dr Golovinov said it was a lawyer's right to be present during police investigations but this was not allowed in Mr Pashkov's case.

The country still had the same Criminal Code that was applied during the Soviet Union era and, in fact, the European Union had asked that it should be changed.

He said he had himself dealt with cases of torture and a client of his was unlawfully kept in detention only to be released without charge.

Dr Debono, asked Dr Golovinov to explain the situation in the Kharkov prisons where Mr Pashkov would be kept if found guilty.

Dr Golovinov said there had been an explosion in the number of tuberculosis cases and AIDS had also become very common.

When the police tortured suspects and were caught they were rarely ever arraigned but were simply dismissed from the force.

The case continues.