KIEV, Feb. 14 – Jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Thursday refused to participate in a trial for the 1996 murder of a politician on Friday, prison authorities reported.

The report comes hours after the authorities said Tymoshenko, who is serving her seven-year sentence in Kharkiv, had agreed to participate in the trial, which is taking place in Kiev.

“The prisoner declared that she may not be present at the court session in Kiev for questioning of a witness,” the authorities said in the report, adding that they will “not be sending Tymoshenko [to Kiev] against her will.”

The trial, which opened earlier this week, is focusing on the murder of Yevhen Shcherban, a lawmaker and a prominent businessman, in which prosecutors claim Tymoshenko had been involved.

Tymoshenko vehemently denied any involvement and said the trial is politically motivated and was ordered by President Viktor Yanukovych, her political rival.

The European Union has warned Ukraine that the imprisonment of Tymoshenko and the perceived lack of reforms threaten deals on more trade and closer political ties.

Ukraine's leadership has strongly denied wrongdoing in Tymoshenko's case, saying courts are independent.

The judge at the Pecherskiy district court in Kiev earlier this week fined Tymoshenko the equivalent of $2,000 for refusing to attend the hearing.

Public prosecutor Ihor Pushkar defended the punishment.

He said Tymoshenko "released a statement in the afternoon saying she wished to be brought to court. "But, the prosecutor added, "This was clearly an attempt to delay the trial and manipulate public opinion.”

Tymoshenko’s lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko, told reporters that his client wanted to face the court.

The lawyer explained that “Yulia Tymoshenko stated both verbally and in written form that she demands to be present at the hearing." But, he said, authorities "are afraid of Tymoshenko appearing in public. They are afraid she will discredit their witnesses.”

Prosecutors will seek life imprisonment for Tymoshenko, who they claim has paid for the murder $2.8 million by making a wire banking transaction. The transaction was made to accounts allegedly controlled by former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko, who prosecutors claim worked closely with Tymoshenko. (tl/ez)