A Ukrainian court on June 26 delayed an appeal by jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko against her conviction for abuse of power, postponing a decision that could embarrass Ukraine while it stages the Euro 2012 soccer tournament.
The high court in Kyiv supported a call by state prosecutors
for the hearing to be postponed pending a medical examination of
Tymoshenko to establish whether she was fit to attend
proceedings. It fixed the next hearing for July 12.
A similar ruling was made by a court in Kharkiv on June 25 relating to a second trial of Tymoshenko for alleged tax
evasion. That court adjourned until July 10.
The outcome of legal proceedings against Tymoshenko, a
former prime minister and heroine of the 2004-5 “Orange
Revolution” street protests in Ukraine, could shape the former
Soviet republic’s relations with the European Union for years.
Both court rulings mean that authorities have effectively
avoided sensitive hearings that risk generating further bad
publicity for the leadership of President Viktor Yanukovich
while the high-profile European soccer championship is going on.
Ukraine is co-host of the Euro 2012 tournament with Poland,
with the final due to take place in Kyiv on July 1.
Tymoshenko, who could not attend the Kyiv hearing because
she is receiving medical treatment for back trouble, is
appealing against conviction and a seven-year jail sentence
imposed last year for alleged abuse of power.
The charge relates to a 2009 gas deal with Russia which she
brokered as prime minister and which Yanukovich’s government
says saddled Ukraine with an exorbitant price for gas imports.
The trial and her conviction have caused outrage among
Western governments which say it smacks of “selective justice”
and have derailed Ukraine‘s relations with the EU.
The charismatic 51-year-old politician says she is the
victim of a vendetta by Yanukovich, her fierce political foe who
narrowly beat her for the presidency in February 2010.
The 27-member EU has shelved agreements on free trade and
political association with Ukraine and a number of European
politicians have boycotted Euro 2012 matches played there.
So far, pressure from the EU has had no effect.
Yanukovich has said he will not intervene before all the
trials and appeals are over. Ukrainian prosecutors, meanwhile,
have heaped fresh charges on Tymoshenko, saying they suspect her
of involvement in a 1996 contract killing.
DEFENCE NOT OPTIMISTIC
Tymoshenko’s legal counsel showed little optimism ahead of hearing on June 26.
“There can be no justice for Tymoshenko, so all the hopes of
Tymoshenko’s defence lie beyond Ukraine‘s borders,” said her
lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko, meaning only Western pressure could
bring about her release.
After the adjournment decision, Vlasenko said, “The main aim
of all this is to exclude Tymoshenko from Ukraine‘s political
life and not allow her to be elected at the (October) 2012
parliamentary elections.”
On June 25 a court in the city of Kharkiv, where Tymoshenko
is serving her sentence, adjourned her trial on separate charges
of tax evasion and attempted embezzlement until July 10 at the
request of state prosecutors.
That court similarly ordered a medical examination of
Tymoshenko to establish her physical fitness to attend
proceedings.
Ukraine‘s co-hosting of the Euro 2012 soccer championship
has diverted attention from internal problems. But despite being
locked up, Tymoshenko has made her presence felt at Euro 2012
matches with some fans wearing “Free Yulia” T-shirts.
Because of the boycott by some foreign leaders, Yanukovich
has mostly shared his VIP box at matches with political allies,
local government officials and representatives of European
soccer body UEFA.
Britain and France were among those EU governments which
declined to send ministers to attend Euro matches in Ukraine in
which their national teams were competing.
