You're reading: Medical commission sees no reason not to take Tymoshenko to court, says hospital chief

KHARKIV – The international medical commission has come to the conclusion that there are no medical constraints to taking former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to court, Chief of Kharkiv Central Clinical Hospital No. 5 Mykhailo Afanasyev said.

“According to the commission’s conclusion, there are no constraints.
But, considering the opinion of the German experts on the necessity to
continue her treatment, the treatment is not over. Today, according to
the recommendations of Anett Reisshauer, physical activity and physical
exercises will be intensified,” the doctor told journalists on Tuesday.

At the same time, he stressed that doctors, and not judges, will decide whether Tymoshenko may be taken to court.

In turn, Reisshauer said that Tymoshenko is still unable to walk without a walking aid despite improvements in her health state.

“After the end of a hunger strike the patient’s state of health has
significantly improved. Considering this fact, we can make a conclusion
that we’ve overcome the consequences of the hunger strike and the
rehabilitation process can be resumed. This is necessary as the patient
is unable to walk without aid. I mean she cannot walk on her own,” the
German doctor said.

Reisshauer did not specify how much time the rehabilitation process may take.

“At the moment it is impossible to name the exact date, as seen from
the recent weeks and months, the disease is complicated by pain
syndrome,” she said.

The German doctor stressed that absence of stresses is a necessary condition for successful rehabilitation process.

As reported, on Tuesday the court hearing of a case against former
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko concerning financial abuse
within the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) Corporation has been
adjourned until January 18, 2013.

On December 17, the ex-premier refused to attend the hearing for the 12th time.

Tymoshenko is charged under five episodes in the case – organization
of the appropriation of public funds in an especially large amount in
1997-1998 via illicit receiving of value added tax (VAT) (Part 3 of
Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),
attempt to appropriate public funds in an especially large amount in
1997-1998 via illicit receiving of VAT (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of
Article 15, Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code), tax evasion by
the UESU Corporation (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 212 of the
Criminal Code), non-payment of income tax (Part 3 of Article 212 of the
Criminal Code), and committing a crime via official forgery (Part 3 of
Article 27, Part 2 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code).

A preliminary hearing of the case was held on April 19, 2012 in the
absence of Tymoshenko. Since then the court has been putting off
hearings due to the fact that Tymoshenko kept refusing to attend the
hearings due to her state of health.

On October 11, 2011, Pechersky District Court in Kyiv sentenced
Tymoshenko to seven years in prison for abuse of office in signing gas
contracts with Russia in 2009. She has served her sentence in
Kachanivska Penal Colony in Kharkiv since late December 2011.

On May 9, 2012, Tymoshenko was transferred to Central Clinical
Hospital No. 5 in Kharkiv to undergo a treatment course in line with
recommendations made by doctors from the Berlin-based Charite Clinic.

On October 29, Tymoshenko went on hunger strike to protest alleged
vote rigging during the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, and finished
it on November 15.