Ukrainian ex-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko has stated that the witnesses' and experts' testimonies are grounds enough to close the criminal case on the 2009 gas contracts with Russia against her.
As reported by an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, while testifying on the gas case on Kyiv’s Pechersky District Court on Wednesday, Tymoshenko said that after witnesses and experts had given their testimonies it became clear that there was no evidence of a crime in the criminal case.
"When this became clear, the case should have been closed," Tymoshenko said.
She added that a number of experts had confirmed that she was right. According to Tymoshenko, she issued her order in the form of instruction, which could have various names and forms.
The former premier stressed that the Economic Procedure Code of Ukraine forbids interventions by the Cabinet of Ministers in the activity of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy.
"My instruction was not a governmental instruction. And I would not categorically oblige the government to approve the instructions," she said.
According to Tymoshenko, the instruction she passed to ex-Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan was not a normative document that regulated the economic activity of Naftogaz Ukrainy.
"By this instruction I reported on the results of talks for their consideration during work… I have no relation to the contracts," Tymoshenko said.
The accused also said that former Head of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy Oleh Dubyna was not entitled by her to sign the contracts and that he "acted only in accordance with the decision of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy."
