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Tymoshenko insists on MP for her defense
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, May 4 – Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Wednesday defied prosecutors for the third time in less than two weeks by insisting on appointing a lawmaker as part of her defense team.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said Tuesday the tactic had been apparently designed to postpone its investigation into the controversial natural gas agreement Tymoshenko had negotiated with Russia in 2009.

The PGO also warned it may seek to arrest Tymoshenko if she continues to defy the prosecutors by refusing to accept the appointment of a lawyer to defend her in the case.

The developments show that the parties have been drifting towards a confrontation that could trigger a political shake-up. The arrest of Tymoshenko would most likely be criticized by foreign governments, and could also increase her public support rating, analysts said.

Tymoshenko said on Wednesday it was the PGO’s press service – not the prosecutor investigating the case - that had issued the arrest warning on Tuesday.

The charge has been suggesting the arrest idea has been circulated by senior prosecutors that are directly controlled by President Viktor Yanukovych and was politically motivated.

Tymoshenko was summoned up to the PGO on Wednesday for questioning over the 2009 gas agreement that sets gas prices for Ukraine higher then those set up for Germany, according to government officials.

Tymoshenko said she had confronted the prosecutor by asking about the arrest warning statement.

“The investigator was surprised and said he had never made such a statement,” Tymoshenko said. “He said he has nothing to do with the press service.”

But hours later, the investigator issued a statement denying Tymoshenko’s allegations.

“I had not had any conversation about this with the suspect and this can be confirmed by a video recording,” the PGO’s press service released the statement citing the chief investigator.

Tymoshenko as been seeking the prosecutor’s approval to appoint Serhiy Vlasenko, a lawmaker from her political group, as part of her defense team.

Vlasenko would focus only on defending Tymoshenko in the gas case, while her lawyer, Bohdan Ferents, would focus on two other criminal cases that had been earlier opened against her.

The prosecutor argued that only lawyer, not a lawmaker, could be appointed to the gas case, while any other appointment would only postpone the investigation indefinitely. (tl/ez)




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