You're reading: Tymoshenko says she has to read 4,000 pages on gas case every day and night

Former Ukrainian Premier and Leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko said that setting deadlines for her familiarizing with the materials of the criminal case on gas contracts against her by the court has become a check on justice in Ukraine.

"The ruling issued by Pechersky Court yesterday is one more check on justice in Ukraine. You know that they set a deadline of until June 16 – they gave me ten days," Tymoshenko told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to her, the decision on setting the deadline for familiarizing herself with the case was taken by the same judge of Pechersky Court who also set deadlines for reading the materials of the rest of criminal cases on the misuse of Kyoto funds, and on ambulances.

"This very judge obliged me to read 4,000 pages, including the first and the second cases, by June 16 every day, including at night," Tymoshenko said.

In turn, Tymoshenko’s defender MP Serhiy Vlasenko said that the defense had made copies of ten volumes of the criminal case on gas contracts over three days.

"Every day I reported in writing to the investigator on the course of our familiarization with the materials of the case, so we have not ignored the case," he said.

According to Vlasenko, the court ruling was taken secretly, without presence of Tymoshenko’s defense.

He described this ruling as "shameful and unlawful."

"It is illogical and does not show any common sense," he added.

"I think this is the beginning, which demonstrates how the authorities are planning to consider the case on gas contracts against Tymoshenko," the defender said.

The ex-premier is charged with the misuse of funds received by Ukraine under the Kyoto Protocol, abuse of office while purchasing Opel Combo vehicles against government guarantees, and abuse of power during the conclusion of gas contracts with Russia in 2009.