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Gas case hearing: Tymoshenko appears without lawyers

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July 27, 2011, 12:27 p.m. | Politics — by Interfax-Ukraine

On Wednesday court has begun a hearing in the gas case launched against ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
© tymoshenko.ua

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The Pechersky District Court in Kyiv has begun a hearing in the gas case launched against ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. On Wednesday, Tymoshenko is present in the courtroom without lawyers, an Interfax correspondent said.

Representatives from the Prosecutor General's Office and the attorney of the civil plaintiff, Naftogaz Ukraine, are also present, as are parliamentarians, their aides and journalists.

Police officers are maintaining order in the courtroom.

Tymoshenko also is going to petition for disqualification of the presiding judge Rodion Kireyev from the start of the gas case hearing at the Pechersky Court.

"Since I was deprived of even the right to speak at a court hearing, today I want to start my court appearance by lodging a special petition for the recusal of the judge who departed from all the regulations provided by the Criminal Procedural Code," Tymoshenko told journalists before the hearing.

I am going to ask that my lawyers be given access to the legal process, she added, without giving lawyers names.

Tymoshenko faces a number of other criminal charges related to her two terms as prime minister as well as earlier business activities. She has been accused, in particular, of misusing receipts from the sale of carbon emission permits.

Since Yanukovich came to power, several former members of Tymoshenko's cabinet have been prosecuted for alleged offences in office and at least one has fled Ukraine.

Western governments and the European Union have expressed concern over those cases and their potential political motivation.

Yanukovich has denied that any politics was involved and says his government is simply fighting corruption.
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Anonymous July 27, 2011, 3:58 p.m.    

False allegations, a judge that disregards the law? What's next.

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Anonymous July 27, 2011, 4:21 p.m.    

This is a Monkey Trial, and the &quot;judge&quot; appears to be Johnny the Chimp, who has come back from a mysterious and unfortunate death at the so-called &quot;Kyiv Zoo.&quot; But that's a different story.

It looks like the witness for the prosecution is not testifying the way that prosecutors want him to testify. Why would prosecutors bring to the witness stand a witness, and then impeach their own witness with prior contradictory statements???

Well, this is a stalinist show trial after all, and the show isn't going quite as planned.

http://5.ua/newsline/250/0/79872/

Прокурори заявляють, що слова Продана суперечать його свідченням під час слідства

Директиви на газові переговори із Росією в 2009 році тодішньому главі НАК &quot;Натофгазу&quot; передав міністр палива та енергетики Юрій Продан. Про це він сам заявив під час допиту в Печерському райсуді Києва. Прокурори заявляють, що сьогоднішні слова Продана суперечать його свідченням під час досудового слідства.

Юлія Тимошенко спочатку перебивала свого колишнього підлеглого, у зв`язку з чим ледве на потрапила за грати. Прокурор Лілія Фролова клопотала про зміну зпобіжного заходу для екс-прем`єрки. Утім, суддя Родіон Кірєєв у цьому відмовив, запевнившит, що ще не всі заходи для наведення ладну на процесі використані. Тимошенко сьогодні на суді залишається без захисників. Вона просила долучити в цій якості Сергія Власенка, але суддя заявив, що цей правник зловживає своїми правами і порушує порядок.

Former Minister of Fuel and Energy Yurij (George) Prodan testified that he personally delivered directives for talks with Russia (note - actually Gazprom) in 2009 to the then-head of Ukraine's Naftohaz. Prosecutors asserted that his court testimony contradicts his statements during pre-trial investigation.

At first, Yulia Tymoshenko interrupted her former subordinate (note - Tymoshenko has adopted a court strategy of talking over witnesses while they are testifying), and almost got herself jailed as a result. Prosecutor Lilia Frolova demanded that Tymoshenko be arrested, but Judge Rodion Kireyev denied the request, noting that other processes for maintaining court order could be utilized. Tymoshenko appeared today without lawyers. She requested Serhiy (Serge) Vlashenko as her attorney, but the judge noted that that particular attorney misuses his rights and creates disorder.

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Ohhhh, I see - when one defends oneself in court with an able lawyer in a stalinist show trial - that's &quot;disorder.&quot;

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Anonymous July 27, 2011, 5:17 p.m.    

Why doesn't the judge allow her to pick her own lawyers?

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