(Image Source: Wikimedia Foundation)
BY EMOKE BEBIAK
The Kiev court has sentenced former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to 7 years in prison. The ruling led to demonstrations in Kiev. Protesters say the ruling isn’t about a crime -- it’s about politics.
Euronews explains the details of the sentence...
“A judge ruled she had exceeded her powers when she ordered state-run Naftogaz to sign a 2009 gas deal with Russia... Prosecutors said Naftogaz incurred 147 million euros in losses as a result.”
The London Evening Standard reports Tymoshenko is defiant despite the court ruling, saying...
“She maintains her innocence, arguing that as prime minister she did not need special permission to order the signing of the gas deal, and that her actions helped end a bitter pricing dispute between Moscow and Kiev, which had led to energy supply shortages across Europe.”
Tymoshenko, who came to power after Ukraine’s Orange Revolution in 2004, was defeated by a small margin by her opponent Viktor Yanukovich in the 2010 elections. An op-ed writer for The New York Times says the motivation behind the guilty verdict is clearly political...
“Nobody, except perhaps President Viktor Yanukovich and his inner circle, really believes in the independence of the Ukrainian judiciary. In fact, this case can be viewed as a new chapter in Ukrainian politics — criminal prosecution for political motives.”
Tymoshenko also claims political motives--she compared the court’s ruling to Stalin-era purge trials. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports she stood up as the verdict was announced and said,
"We will fight and we will defend my good name in court... I am confident that the European Court of Human Rights will make a legitimate, lawful decision... But today, this court has simply demonstrated that justice has been crushed in Ukraine.”
The verdict has implications on Ukraine’s relationship with the West, especially as the country braces for an European Union membership bid. Financial Times explains...
“Though the prison term is less than the maximum of 10 years, the verdict puts Ukraine on a collision course with the west. EU leaders have warned that sidelining the nation’s top opposition politician one year ahead of parliamentary elections could jeopardise the former Soviet republic’s European integration drive.”
But the ruling also jeopardizes Ukraine’s relationship with its Eastern neighbor--Russia. The LA Times reports a statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website says..
“The court ‘ignored the convincing evidence that the said gas agreements were concluded in strict accordance with the legislation of Russia and Ukraine and the norms of international law.’”
The court also ruled Tymoshenko must pay $200 million to the state to account for the losses her actions allegedly caused. The ruling also specifies she can’t run for office for 3 years after completing her 7-year jail sentence.
Transcript by Newsy.
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