You're reading: Prosecutor wants life in prison for Tymoshenko for ordering a murder

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has finished its investigation into the criminal case on the murder of people's deputy Yevhen Scherban, who was shot dead in 1996, and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been notified of being suspected of having organized the crime. 

“We collected materials of the pre-trial investigation containing evidence that Tymoshenko really did order the murder, together with [former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo] Lazarenko. Today the investigatory group of the Prosecutor General’s Office came to Tymoshenko to notify her of being suspected of having committed the crime,” Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka said on Friday, Jan.18. 

He also said that the article under which Tymoshenko is suspected foresees punishment in the form of a sentence to life in prison.

“Article 93 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine under which Tymoshenko is suspected of having committed the crime foresees life in prison as a maximum punishment for organization of murder, but only court can decide on this,” he said.

Pshonka added that a jury trial could consider the case, according to the legislation.

“If the accused wants so,” the prosecutor general said.

He added that trial on the case will be open.

According to the prosecutor general, the materials of the case contain evidence that Lazarenko and Tymoshenko met with the leaders of an organized criminal group.

“Both Lazarenko and Tymoshenko transferred assets. At first, Lazarenko personally paid $500,000 to the gang. Later on, another transfer of $2.3 million was carried out, and Tymoshenko organized the transfer,” Pshonka said.

He added that business interests could be a reason for the murder of Scherban.

“What is the reason for the murder? Business interests [could be the reason], Lazarenko and Tymoshenko might have had plans regarding some business Scherban did not want to subordinate to the UESU [and they differed from Scherban’s plans]. As you know his business was in the ISD Corporation and a conflict could be related to gas, the price of gas,” Pshonka said.

Pshonka added that investigators discovered that the people who ordered the murder of Scherban paid $2.8 million for it.

According to the prosecutor general, the Scherban case and the case of debts of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) Corporation to Russia have been united into a single case. Ukraine has paid Hr 15 million under the UESU case to Russia, Pshonka said.

He also said that Tymoshenko has read the document saying that she is suspected of being involved in the crime.

“Today we have been informed that the administration of the colony had passed the document personally to Tymoshenko and she read the document,” he said.

Pshonka added that the investigatory group could not hand over the document directly to Tymoshenko, but the current legislation allows passing it via the administration of the Kachanivska Penal Colony, where Tymoshenko is serving her sentence.

He also said that all investigatory actions on the case are over and the ex-premier and her lawyers have to read the materials of the case. After that an indictment will be drawn up and the criminal case will be sent to court.

Scherban, a member of the Liberal Party’s executive committee and a parliamentarian, was gunned down while disembarking a plane at the Donetsk airport on November 3, 1996. The killers fled the scene in a car. Scherban, his wife and a mechanic died from injuries on the spot. The plane’s flight engineer suffered injuries to his neck and later died in a hospital. Law enforcement agencies ruled out a political motive behind the crime.

The Luhansk Regional Court of Appeals found Vadym Bolotskykh guilty of killing Scherban and sentenced him to life in prison in April 2003.

Yevhen Scherban’s son, Ruslan Scherban, a member of the Donetsk Regional Council, said at a press conference on April 4, 2012 that he had passed to the Prosecutor General’s Office documents indicating Tymoshenko’s and Lazarenko’s possible involvement in his father’s murder.

Tymoshenko and Lazarenko have categorically denied being involved in the murder.

The PGO currently cannot bring charges against the ex-premier in the Scherban case due to Tymoshenko’s illness.