You're reading: Judge allows Tymoshenko to dismiss her lawyers

Judge Rodion Kireyev of Kyiv Pechersky District Court has partiallly granted a motion by former prime minister and leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko to dismiss her lawyers in the Russian gas supply contracts case - Mykola Siry and Oleksandr Plakhotniuk, according to Interfax news agency.

Judge Kireyev read out this decision after returning from the deliberation room. Though, he didn’t specify witch part of the motion was granted by court and didn’t say whether he is going to give Tymoshenko enough time to find new defenders, as assigned by Criminal Code, or not, reports Tymoshenko’s official website.

Kireyev also approved two appeals to Kyiv regional qualification-disciplinary committee about the improper performance of duties by lawyers Plakhotniuk and Siry.

As reported, at a court session on July 26 Kireyev read out Tymoshenko’s statement on dismissing lawyers Siry and Plakhotniuk. Tymoshenko noted that the judge has not given her lawyers enough time to study the case materials and that her lawyers could not prepare properly for the trial.

Tymoshenko’s official press-service also reported that both lawyers are going to keep following Tymoshenko’s gas case and studying the details of it, in order to be able to give her professional support in future.