Arrest of Ukraine oligarch's ally politically motivated - lawyer

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (L) talks to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky during a representing ceremony of a new governor of the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region in Dnipropetrovsk March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Mikhail Palinchak/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters

KIEV (Reuters) - The arrest in Ukraine of a close associate of the influential business tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky on suspicion of embezzlement is politically motivated, his lawyer said on Sunday.

Hennadiy Korban was detained on Saturday in the eastern industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk, where he served as deputy governor under Kolomoisky before the latter was removed from his post in March by President Petro Poroshenko.