Leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko on the day off came to the main investigation department of the Prosecutor General's Office for questioning in a criminal case on gas contracts and she said she would insist that MP Serhiy Vlasenko be permitted to act as her defender in the case.
"I will tell the investigator again that I insist that Serhiy Vlasenko be allowed to act as my defender. The fact that he is not allowed [to defend me] is the violation of my rights," Tymoshenko told reporters before the interrogation on Tuesday.
She stressed that "the prosecutor general’s office does it deliberately to create illusion that I am impeding investigative actions."
According to Tymoshenko, Vlasenko is "five minutes from the prosecutor general’s office" and will come here at any time when the investigator allows him to participate in the case.
Tymoshenko noted that the status of a MP does not preclude from participating in the case. "According to the laws of Ukraine, I can invite not only a lawyer but a defender who is not a lawyer, receiving reward for this. This is not commercial and not paid activity," Tymoshenko said.
