Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko has said that her defense lawyer Serhiy Vlasenko will be in court on July 15 and that she will find a second lawyer by this time.
Prosecutors, in turn, demanded that the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv ensure Vlasenko’s immediate presence at a court session.
Judge Rodion Kireyev and Tymoshenko engaged in a war of words over the absence of Tymoshenko’s defense lawyer in court. The judge said that even though letters with the date of court sessions were being sent to Vlasenko, he was not attending.
Tymoshenko continued to insist that Vlasenko was abroad to collect documents proving her innocence and that he had currently returned to Ukraine to continue to work on this issue.
Kireyev could not get a clear answer regarding the presence of Tymoshenko’s defense lawyer and asked her: "Can you somehow take a decision on your defense?"
He added that the court could not apply the provisions of the law on the bar with respect to Vlasenko, as he is a people’s deputy.
When asked whether Vlasenko will be present in court, Tymoshenko said: "Of course. We hope that Vlasenko be in court on July 15. I will also choose a second defense lawyer."
The court also filed with the case materials a statement by Vlasenko that he is collecting evidence for the case, and, according to Tymoshenko, "is speaking with [representatives of] those companies that are located in Ukraine," collecting documents and copies of them.
