You're reading: Turchynov: SBU brought no charges against Tymoshenko in the new debt case

The deputy leader of the Batkivschyna Party, Oleksandr Turchynov, has said that he is unaware of any debt of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine (UESU) corporation to the Russian Defense Ministry, or there being any government guarantees against this debt.

He said at a press conference on Thursday that if such a debt did exist, then "Russia would not wait for 15 years" to lay its claims. He said that "all statutes of limitations" had expired in the case on the debt and that there were court rulings on this issue issued during the presidency of former President Leonid Kuchma.

Turchynov said that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had not brought any charges against Tymoshenko in the case on the corporation’s debt.

"No charges have been brought," he said.

He said that lawyers visited Tymoshenko in jail until 1800 on Wednesday. However, after they left, at about 1900, SBU investigators attempted "to interrogate [Tymoshenko] or show some papers," but the former prime minister refused to communicate with them without her lawyers.

Turchynov said that the new charges brought against Tymoshenko were caused by the fear of the current government that Tymoshenko could be freed from prison.

"They are trying to insure against the decisions of European courts, launching new investigations and new processes that have only one purpose – to keep Yulia Tymoshenko in prison," he said.