U.S. Attorney in the case of Ukraine's former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, Martha Boersch, who no longer works at the U.S. Department of Justice, said that former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko appeared in Lazarenko's case as witness, or even as an injured party.
"She (Tymoshenko) was mentioned in the indictment as a person who participated in the conspiracy, but who was not charged. She did not face the same charges as Mr. Lazarenko. I thought that Tymoshenko might have been a witness of the crime, of which Mr. Lazarenko was accused. She could have been an injured party as a result of blackmail by Lazarenko," Boersch said on Saturday night on the Inter TV channel.
As reported, on October 12, 2011, the central investigation department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched criminal proceedings against Tymoshenko and former Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Lazarenko into the alleged attempted embezzlement of $405 million through issuing government guarantees against the debts of United Energy Systems of Ukraine corporation, which was formerly led by Tymoshenko.
The new criminal case was opened after the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers received a letter from the Russian Defense Ministry, raising the question of the repayment of the UESU’s $405.5 million debt.
Lazarenko was charged in the United States with laundering money which was obtained illegally and transferred to foreign bank accounts in 1994-1999. In August 2006, he was sentenced by a court in California to nine years in prison for money laundering and other crimes. He is under house arrest at his apartment in San Francisco.
In June 2011, Lazarenko’s custody period was reduced by seven months until January 11, 2012.
Lazarenko led the Ukrainian government in June 1996 – June 1997.
