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Prosecutors investigate Tymoshenko in murder case

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Oct. 29, 2011, 5:23 p.m. | Ukraine — by Associated Press

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko with her daughter Evhenya, left, seen during a trial hearing at the Pecherskiy District Court in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, where Tymoshenko denies all charges. A judge has begun deliberations in the abuse-of-office trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko is charged with exceeding her authority in the signing of a natural gas import contract with Russia in 2009. Prosecutors have asked for a seven-year prison sentence. The trial has been condemned by the U.S. and the European Union as politically motivated
© AP Photo/Olexander Prokopenko, Pool

A senior Ukrainian prosecutor says that authorities are investigating whether the imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was involved in a contract-style killing 15 years ago. A televised statement made late Friday by Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin further dims hopes that Tymoshenko, sentenced to seven years in jail earlier this month, could be released any time soon.

Kuzmin said that prosecutors are looking into claims that Tymoshenko was involved in the slaying of a lawmaker and businessman in 1996.

The West has criticized Tymoshenko's jailing on charges of abuse of office as the politically motivated prosecution of a top opposition leader by her longtime foe, President Viktor Yanukovych.

Tymoshenko's office denied the new allegations.
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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 5:28 p.m.    

I believe she was also the 20th hijacker in 9/11.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 5:38 p.m.    

Touche! And who knows what other atrocities she committed as a toddler and girl?

Yanukovych really think the ukrainians are so stupid that they believe all the bullshit his cronies drum up to bury opposition? Yanukovych should still be in prison. One can only hope his day of reckoning will come soon.. 2012 elections, then he will be on other side of power curve

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 5:37 p.m.    

After all this is said and done Yanokovitch is really setting himself up for prosecution in the future. He has his moment now but just doesn't seem to9 understand nothing lasts forever. He should take Gadaffi as an example. Even before some of the corrupt individuals he i8s involed with may take him out. His days are numbered. We just don't know when until the headline appears. In the meantime I would be looking over my shoulder Yano and defi9nately have your driver start the car for you. Good luck.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 5:57 p.m.    

May be we must start thinking that the people around Yano are smarter then every body thinks !

If she could put him/them to jail when she was PM she had to do it, after there will be no proof any more for what they did,they more smart,

And Yano is just a muppet, not the puppeteer !

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 5:53 p.m.    

The Ukrainian Prosecutor should be more focus on the murder committed by Kuchma and Lytvyn. They have all the evidence to go ahead with a trial of both men for their crimes. A long with these individuals, they should as well consider the criminal acts of Yanukovych as well. The big mansion he has and his refusal to be more open about how he obtain the mansion is enough to warrant a criminal investigation as well. Criminal prosecution can not be selective and only directed towards the opposition. Just like selective political prosecution cannot be directed towards individuals because of threats to the ruling regime. Such prosecution is a crime as well and the Ukrainian Prosecutor General should be held accountable for breaking the law as well. The entire Party of Rats are criminals must be held accountable for their crimes against the nation. There is good reason to believe that Ukraine would be without a government since they are all criminals and belong behind bars. Such a situation would call for new elections and a complete change of individuals running the government. Maybe it is exactly what Ukraine needs in order to move forward into the future.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 6:04 p.m.    

Unbelievable! The criminal regimes obsession to destroy Tymoshenko and the opposition has gone way out of control.Their actions are no longer credible or lawful. It is all criminal and must be stopped.We shouldn't have to put up with these criminals anymore.The only solution to the problem is to remove Yanukonvict by any means possible.Or pray that he drops dead tommorrow!

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 6:23 p.m.    

I had no idea of the magnitude of hatred the Yanukovych people have against Tymoshenko.

I thought sentencing her to 7 years in prison as a non grata 'entity', sequestered from politics, etc. was sufficient. Case Closed.

But to accuse her of *** murder? ***?

My God, Yanukovych is paranoid; becoming irrational.

Not only must Yanukovych must be douched from office, but the ENTIRE Ukraine system of justice must be overhauled.

... but how can this be done in an authoritarian society?

... it's taking YEARS with Belarus.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 6:49 p.m.    

Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they are doing

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 5:45 p.m.    

We are commies and we do not believe in God !! We only worship Stalin !!

We only worship Stalin !!

We only worship Stalin !!

We only worship Stalin !!

We only worship Stalin !!

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 7:22 p.m.    

If Yanuk is morfing into Stalin, then Yulia is his Trotsky. He is obsessed with destroying her not only politically, but physically as well - just like Stalin was with Trotsky.

Actually, the parallels are eerily similar: Trotsky was the brilliant, gifted but arrogant leader who mocked Stalin's backwardness, and saw himself as the rightful leader. He lost the power struggle, and Stalin never forgave him...took his time, and ochestrated his destruction.

The situation is strikingly similar.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 7:24 p.m.    

***************

REVOLUTION !!!!

****************

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 11:26 p.m.    

Too many people will get hurt. Just kill the culprit!

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 1:59 p.m.    

yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 7:44 p.m.    

Yanuconvict is a convicted criminal, so no right to be a president.

Not speaking all the list of crimes he committed as president.

Destroying the opposition and no EU-agreement.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 8:54 p.m.    

I do not know how the EU can even tolerate talking to this man. He is beyond paranoia but is insane. If one small woman can bring him to this state then he should not be in power. If the oligarchs who put him there are not ashamed they should be. He is not only STUPID he is beyond description. He has outdone Kuchma and that is saying something. Beria murdered Stalin, can't we find some way of getting rid of Yanuconvikt?God help Yulia and Ukraine with this maniac in power. Yuschenko has a lot to answer for with his Judas appearance in the trial.

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:23 a.m.    

Yunukonvict doesn't have araknaphobia. Your right it's Tymoshenkophobia.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 9:13 p.m.    

Even a Kangaroo Court must produce SOME evidence beyond a mere scandalous charge. What evidence is there against her? This witch hunt of Tymoshenko by Yanuconvikt has really become the theater of the absurd! Next she will be the Anti-Christ!

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 9:19 p.m.    

At long last we find out who Bill Clinton dispatched to murder Vince Foster!

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 10:53 p.m.    

I think they hope that if they throw up enough dirt that something will stick. We can call the prosecutors and the Yanucockroach government the mud slingers. The country is not based on rule of law or evidence but by hurling accusations and insinuations. It's like a dirty vicious gossip circle except they put you in jail until you can provide 100% proof of innocense. Shame shame on them. They have no clue about human rights, or democracy.

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 11:07 p.m.    

Over the past year, Firtash's business empire has risen by 540%, the assets of Akhmetov for the year increased from $ 17.8 billion to $ 25.6 billion !!

!!

During year of Yanukovych's rule is almost equal to the debt over 19 years. National Bank current account deficit rose from $ 506 million for the period January-September 2010 to $ 5.5 billion compared to the first 9 months of 2011, debt increased by 10.8 times !!!!!!!

!!

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Anonymous Oct. 29, 2011, 11:18 p.m.    

I guess Yanukonvict is trying to convince the world that Tymoshenko truly was a corrupt and criminal PM and businesswoman, but so far he has only convinced the world that he is an inept buffoon who is himself corrupt. No sympathy for the devil!

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 2:49 a.m.    

if he wants to talk about corruption and murder he need only look in his party.

слава демократичний Україна

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:05 a.m.    

Since the Orange Revolution of 2005, fighting corruption has been high on the political agenda in Ukraine. But Transparency International’s (TI) recently published National Integrity System assessment (NIS) shows little progress in halting the tide of corruption.

Published by TORO, TI’s partner in Ukraine, the NIS assessment is a comprehensive analysis of the country’s anti-corruption system in law as well as in practice. Ukraine scores 2.4 in the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, which indicates widespread perceptions of corruption.

NIS assessments evaluate the key institutions and actors of a country’s governance system in terms of their internal corruption risks and their contributions to fighting corruption in society at large. When all the components of the National Integrity System function properly, corruption remains in check. Where there are gaps and weaknesses, corruption is likely to thrive.

The report shows that overall Ukraine’s integrity system is weak. The main political parties show little political will to tackle corruption through legal reforms or by addressing citizens’ concerns. There are four main areas of concern:

Lack of financial and human resources to fight corruption

Limited legal framework.

Limited enforcement

Poor interaction between institutions

The one bright spot is the Supreme Audit Institution, which outperformed all other institutions primarily because it has sufficient resources, a will to promote transparency and close relationships with similar organisations in other countries.

The report features a number of key recommendations, including stricter party financing rules and electoral reforms.

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:10 a.m.    

This is normal procedure and is standard policy in west-you have to look into suspected crimes.Prosecutors should also look to see if she had a hand in the poison attack on Yushchenko.

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:25 a.m.    

From Reuters U.S. Edition--The investigation is into the 1996 contract killing of deputy Yevhen Shcherban, private agency Unian quoted Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin as saying. Shcherban was shot in an airport.

Kuzmin was quoted as saying prosecutors had evidence that Tymoshenko could be involved in the crime, along with Pavlo Lazarenko, who was prime minister at the time and has since been jailed in the United Staates for fraud and money laundering.

&quot;We have a transcript of a witness being questioned in the United States where the witness states directly that the murder of Shcherban was paid for from Lazarenko and Tymoshenko's accounts,&quot; Kuzmin was quoted as saying.

&quot;We have the documents and want to check them.&quot;

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:30 a.m.    

Yevhen Shcherban

Kyiv Post--Dec 10, 2008 at 21:44

Donetsk tarmac terror

Another high-profile political murder with a huge question mark lingering over it is a gangland-style slaying of Yevhen Shcherban. He was among the richest people in Ukraine, a prominent and influential member of parliament. Shcherban and his wife were assassinated at Donetsk airport in November 1996. Posing as police officers, several men drove up to Shcherban’s private jet and sprayed automatic fire on the passengers as they deplaned.

Shcherban owned Aton Corporation, a trading, production and finance company which many had an eye on. Prosecutors said the hit on Shcherban was intended to eliminate competition for control of Ukraine’s natural gas industry and that many potential suspects could have been interested in his death. In 2002, eight men from the “Kushnir Gang” were arrested and tried for the 1996 murder. Yevhen Kushnir, who was considered an underworld figure in the early 1990s is believed to have been murdered while in prison in 1998. All eight men were found guilty, with three receiving life sentences. Law enforcement officials claim that former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko hired the eight men to kill Shcherban, Hetman and another Donetsk underworld leader, Akhat Bragin, all charges denied by Lazarenko.

Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/31855/#ixzz1cDj2bOx9

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 3:53 a.m.    

Enough of the corrupt business oligarchs and their evil kleptocracy. Support Vitali Klitschko and the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform. Ukraine for Ukrainians!

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 5:49 a.m.    

Klitchko should become president and kick Yanukovych butt.

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 10:27 a.m.    

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 4:31 a.m.    

I suppose she knows where Jimmy Hoffa's body is buried as well... Next they will show her her braided hair in the grassy knoll in Dallas.

I realize the woman is not a saint but this is getting ridiculous.

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Anonymous Oct. 30, 2011, 10:26 a.m.    

why ridiculous ?

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