Ukraine's Timoshenko to go on trial Friday
Timoshenko, 50, is accused of office abuse while signing gas agreements with Russia in 2009 which current authorities say were detrimental for Ukraine as the price was excessively high; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
Yanukovich denied any political motivation of the trial. "I would have done everything so that there was no trial and no problem. But nobody could bar law enforcers from fulfilling their duties regarding unlawful actions or violations by Timoshenko or her government members. An open trial will show who is right and who is guilty," he said in Strasburg.
Timoshenko's party Batkivschina urged the president to ensure a fair trial and allow a live TV coverage from the courtroom.
The office of the prosecutor general agreed it should be an open and transparent trial to which media and public representative should be allowed.
However the Batkivshchina Party said police sealed off the Pechersky district court on the eve of the trial.
"It is done to bar the opposition from staging a protest at the entrance to the court and allow people hired by the (ruling) Party of Regions to rally against Timoshenko," it said.
The former prime minister faces yet another criminal case related to unlawful use of proceeds from the sale of greenhouse emission quotas and purchases of ambulances at unreasonably high prices. However it has not been submitted to court yet.
Timoshenko has faced several lawsuits since mid 1990s. She was initially accused of smuggling 26 thousand dollars, but the charges were later dropped. She was then charged with bribery, tax dodging, office abuse, gas contraband and in February 2001 arrested for 42 days and then released but restricted in travel. The same year the office of the prosecutor general requested parliament to strip lawmaker Timoshenko of immunity, but was rejected.
After Timoshenko was appointed the prime minister in 2005 the Supreme Court of Ukraine dropped all criminal cases against her and her family members.
In 2004 the office of the Russian prosecutor general also tried to bring Timoshenko to criminal responsibility for alleged bribing of defense ministry officials. However it later dropped the charges. But recently the Russian defense minister reminded the Ukrainian government the Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine Company headed by Timoshenko had not repaid a debt of 405.5 million dollars.