Tymoshenko trial deferred to 14 August

Photo: UNIANi

The  latest hearing into the trial of former Prime Minister and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has again been postponed for another two weeks. Presiding judge Sadovsky at the Kyivsky District Court in Kharkiv said that the postponement was because neither Ms Tymoshenko, nor her defence council – her daughter Yevhenia – were present.  According to her lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko, Yevhenia Tymoshenko is away on business.

The judge decided to postpone any decision on whether Ms Tymoshenko could take part through video conference link until it was ascertained that such a link is possible.

The assessment concludes that Ms Tymoshenko can take part in court hearings. The prosecution asked for the hearing to be adjourned until 31 July in order for Ms Tymoshenko to read the medical conclusion.

Yulia Tymoshenko is already serving a sentence over the 2009 “gas accords” with Russia which has been denounced as politically motivated by all democratic countries and bodies. In the new prosecution she is accused of organizing concealment of foreign currency profit of over 155 million USD; illegal compensation with public funding and tax evasion amounting to over 47 million UAH through financial machinations.  The criminal investigation was initiated some years back then terminated in early 2005.  Yulia Tymoshenko’s defence lawyers are adamant that it was terminated lawfully.

This more overtly “criminal case” has been met with scepticism by the international community.