Saturday, May 15, 2010

Ukraine: prosecutors drop Tymoshenko subpoena

FOCUS Information Agency - Ukrainian prosecutors have canceled the subpoena that obliged former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko to appear for questioning on May 17, the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper cited an investigator as saying, according to RIA Novosti.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said Wednesday that Tymoshenko had been charged with trying to bribe Ukrainian Supreme Court officials, allegedly to get them to release her relatives from custody.

According to the prosecutor's office, the criminal case was initiated in May 2004, but closed in January 2005 before all necessary investigation procedures were completed.

The paper said Tymoshenko's questioning was postponed because of an investigator's business trip. The Prosecutor General's Office was expected to decide on the pretrial restrictions to be imposed on her.

The former prime minister, who currently leads the Ukrainian opposition, has said the allegations are politically motivated.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has accused Tymoshenko of costing the state 100 billion hryvnas ($12.5 billion) during her term in office, and said the 2008-2009 budget documents should be examined by law enforcement agencies and independent auditors.
On May 5, the Ukrainian Cabinet hired Washington-based law firm Trout Cacheris PLLC to conduct an audit of the state budget during Tymoshenko's term as prime minister.

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