The former interior minister was found dead in his home Friday, an apparent suicide

The former interior minister was found dead in his home Friday, an apparent suicide, just before he was to be questioned about the 2000 slaying of an investigative journalist, dealing a blow to an inquiry that could implicate the former president. Former Interior Minister Yuriy Kravchenko suffered two gunshot wounds to the head, a TV station reported he left a note blaming his suicide on former President Leonid Kuchma "and his entourage," and the journalist's widow suggested it was all part of a cover-up to protect "the old regime." President Viktor Yushchenko, who has made solving the murder of journalist Heoriy Gongadze a moral obligation for his new administration, ordered the current interior minister and prosecutor general to take over the investigation. Kravchenko, 53, had been implicated in organizing the killing of Gongadze, who wrote about top-level corruption under Kuchma. The killing of Gongadze - who was found decapitated in a forest outside the capital in 2000 - sparked months of protests against Kuchma. The opposition alleged Kuchma ordered the killing. Kuchma again denied any involvement Friday. "Before God, before people, before my conscience, I'm clean," Kuchma told reporters at a spa resort in the Czech Republic. He said he would return home Saturday and was prepared to talk to prosecutors, Czech and Ukrainian TV reported. Interior Ministry spokeswoman Inna Kisel said Kravchenko's death "appears to be a suicide." He died at his country residence outside Kiev.