Ukraine’s former PM Yulia Tymoshenko condemns trial ‘farce’

Leader of 2004 orange revolution denies wrongdoing over charges of abuse of power – and chastises judge as ‘puppet’ The former prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, condemned her trial on charges of abuse of power as a farce and called the judge a puppet on Friday amid chaotic scenes in a cramped and rowdy courtroom in Kiev. Tymoshenko, who is accused of signing a gas supply contract with Russia two years ago that allegedly left Ukraine $440m (£275m) out of pocket, was in combative mood, refusing to stand for the judge, Rodion Kireyev, and calling him a “puppet”. In an interview with the Guardian this week Tymoshenko, the 50-year-old erstwhile leader of the 2004 orange revolution, accused her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovich, of orchestrating prosecutions “just like Stalin in 1937″ to destroy her chances of taking part in elections next year. At the hearing she denied wrongdoing and chastised Kireyev for being a pawn of Yanukovich and his allies in an hour-and-a-half long speech. “I will get to the truth, if not in Ukrainian courts, then in international ones,” she added, according to local news agencies. “I will fight to my last breath. They want to put me in prison but that won’t help. My voice will be heard even louder from prison than now, and the whole world will hear me.” Tymoshenko – whose hair was back in her trademark circular braid – told reporters: “Yanukovych is a coward. He is afraid of political competition and opposition.” Kireyev refused a request from her lawyers to recuse himself because of his alleged inexperience and links to the president. There was a scrum inside the courthouse, where Tymoshenko’s supporters reportedly threw water over Inna Bogoslovskaya, an MP from Yanukovich’s Party of the Regions, who arrived at the building to cries of “Witch! Witch!”. Scuffles also broke out in the street. TV footage from the courtroom showed a crush of activists, lawyers and reporters, in the sweltering heat. Interfax reported Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira, the EU ambassador, saying: “I can’t give a political evaluation but the conditions in which the hearing is taking place are inhuman.” Kireyev also turned down a demand from Tymoshenko’s team to delay the trial for a month so that she could finish reading 14 volumes of case material. The prosecution rests on an accusation that Tymoshenko signed a contract in 2009 for delivery of Siberia natural gas supplies with Russia without consulting Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers. In her defence she argued that she had no legal obligation to do so. Disputes over the price of gas prompted Russia to cut off supplies for several days in 2006 and 2009. Yanukovich, who denies any involvement in Tymoshenko’s trial, is trying to negotiate a lower price for gas supplies, which are tied to the price of oil and have inflated because of instability in the Middle East. The trial resumes on Saturday. Ukraine Europe Tom Parfitt guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.