Regions Party faction member Volodymyr Oliynyk has said that allegations by Serhiy Vlasenko, a former lawyer for Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko, that the former premier could be arrested on Friday are unfounded.
"When I read that statement by Serhiy Vlasenko, I saw that it was biased and untrue," he said at a briefing outside the building of the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv on Friday.
He added that "firstly, Monday evening has yet to come."
On the other hand, Oliynyk said that the court had resumed the reading of the indictment in line with the current law, as the document was earlier announced in the absence of the defendant and her lawyers.
"This is a legitimate procedural step," he said.
Oliynyk also described Vlasenko’s allegations about Tymoshenko’s possible arrest as a smear campaign and a bid to attract public attention.
Vlasenko said earlier that on Friday, July 22, the presiding judge in the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv, Rodion Kireyev, could change the measure of restraint against Tymoshenko to her arrest.
"Tymoshenko’s defense team received information that on the evening of Monday [July 18], there was a meeting between Judge Kireyev and employees of the presidential administration, at which Judge Kireyev was tasked with changing the measure of restraint against Tymoshenko to her arrest today [on Friday], after the questioning of several witnesses," he said at a briefing outside the courthouse.
Vlasenko added that the source of this information "deserves attention."
