European Forum

Tymoshenko sentenced to 7 years in prison

On 11 October Ukrainian former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was found guilty of abuse of power while signing a natural-gas agreement with Russia in 2009 and was sentenced to a seven-years imprisonment.
 
The criminal case against Tymoshenko was opened in April and the investigators accused her of signing an overpriced agreement with Russia which damaged the state gas company Naftogaz and Ukraine’s economy, saying Tymoshenko’s signature was not approved by the government. The former Prime Minister denied the allegations saying the gas agreement with Russia was signed according to legal procedures, the evidence to which are treaty ratifications by Naftohaz, the Ukrainian government at that time and the Verkhovna rada (parliament). She also suggested that her prosecution was politically motivated. The Russian foreign ministry said the 2009 natural gas agreements with Ukraine were legal. Tymoshenko has been in custody since August, which brought her supporters to hold demonstrations against the trial on the streets of Kiev.

In the court’s final verdict on Tuesday (11 of October) judge Rodion Kireyev said Tymoshenko ‘used her powers for criminal ends […], which led to serious consequences’ and added the former Prime Minister is to pay back 1.5bn hrivnas ($186m) lost by the state gas company as a result of the deal. ‘This is an authoritarian regime that is distancing Ukraine from Europe, while using European rhetoric’, Tymoshenko said after the verdict was read out. Several clashes between Tymoshenko’s supporters and opponents, including some arrests, were reported to have taken place outside the court.

The European Union already expressed its disappointment over the verdict stipulating the interdependence between the practice of the rule of law in Ukraine and its EU perspectives. ‘The verdict comes after a trial which did not respect the international standards as regards fair, transparent and independent legal process’, -  communicated Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, and added the verdict will have ‘profound implications for the EU-Ukraine bilateral relationship, including for the conclusion of the Association Agreement’. Members of Tymoshenko’s political party Batkivshchyna commented they would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to review the case.

In recent weeks, the European Union and the United States leaders have expressed their concerns over selective prosecution of political opponents. The EU leaders repeatedly warned that Tymoshenko’s case could affect EU-Ukraine relations and block Ukraine’s EU integration perspectives.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Reuters, TodaysZaman, Europa.eu. Image: Flickr.