Rodion Kireyev, the judge of Kyiv's Pechersky District Court presiding over the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, has announced a break in the court hearings until 15.00 on Sep. 27 to allow the defendant to properly prepare for the court debates and ensure her right to a defense.
"Taking into account an application by the defendant regarding her preparations for the court debates… the court is announcing a break in the hearing until Sept. 27 to ensure [Tymoshenko’s] right to a defense," Kireyev said at a court session early on Sept. 12, after hearing the former prime minister and her lawyers.
In particular, Tymoshenko’s lawyer Oleksandr Plakhotniuk said that the defense team did not have enough time to properly prepare for the court debates.
Tymoshenko said at the beginning of the court hearings that she was prepared for the court debates, despite the fact that she did not have enough time for preparations.
"I state that I did not have enough time to prepare a strategy for my defense… But we’ll defend as best we can," she said.
On Sept. 12, the court was expected to hold court debates, which is the final stage of the trial.
