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Former Ukraine premier faces new charges

Posted on: Fri October 14, 2011

KIEV - Ukraine issued mixed signals yesterday on the fate of imprisoned former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, with the nation"s president hinting she could be released after a legal reform but the country"s security agency filing new corruption charges against her.

The United States and the European Union have condemned this week"s sentencing of Tymoshenko to seven years in prison for abuse of office.

In response to that Western criticism, President Viktor Yanukovych said yesterday that he backs legislative changes that could free her from jail.

Tymoshenko was found guilty Tuesday of exceeding her authority in signing a gas deal with Russia in 2009. She dismissed her trial as Yanukovych"s attempt to remove her - the country"s top opposition leader - from politics.

Yanukovych said the Soviet-era law that served as a basis for Tymoshenko"s conviction was outdated and should be changed.

"The law has been classified as part of administrative offenses or political cases around the world, in many countries,"" Yanukovych said. "If you ask me, "Do I agree with it?" Without, a doubt, I agree.""

Yanukovych suggested that the amendments could be adopted in time for an appeals court to review the case.

"If the relevant bills are passed before the appeals hearing, the appeals court will definitely take them into account while hearing the case,"" he said.

Parliament last week gave initial approval to a bill to decriminalize some economic offenses, but that bill contained no mention of the statute under which Tymoshenko was charged. Parliament is to consider that bill again next week, and some analysts believe it could be amended to include Tymoshenko"s charge.

But Ukraine"s Security Service yesterday charged Tymoshenko with attempting to embezzle $405 million in government funds. Besides the new charges and the gas conviction, Tymoshenko is also the subject of two other corruption investigations, which she dismisses as a witch hunt.

Tymoshenko, one of the leading figures of Ukraine"s 2004 Orange Revolution, served two stints as prime minister, in 2005 and from 2007 to 2010. Last year she ran for president but lost to Yanukovych, her longtime foe.

Courtesy: Boston