Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been convicted of exceeding her powers by ordering state energy firm Naftogaz to sign a deal with Russia in 2009, a judge ruled today.
Judge Rodion Kireyev, reading the verdict for more than four hours inside Kiev’s Pecherskyi District Court this morning, also sentenced the Orange Revolution leader to seven years in prison and ordered her to pay $188 million in restitution.
“You know very well that the sentence is not being pronounced by Judge Kireyev but by President Yanukovich,” she told journalists before the reading of the judgment, The New York Times reported.
The judge also banned Tymoshenko from participating in elections for three years, preventing her from running for parliamentary office in 2012 and presidential office in 2015. Tymoshenko’s representatives have said they plan to appeal the ruling.
Outside the courthouse the mood was tense. Thousands of the ex-premier’s supporters and scores of riot police turned out for the climax of the trial. Rallying cries could be heard from all around. Few fights and fewer arrests were reported.
Experts expect today’s verdict will put a strain on Ukraine’s ties to the west, preventing it from integrating into the European Union.
You can view more photos from today’s event at my Flickr page.
[...] I’ve recently reported, there are many Ukrainians up in arms over Tuesday’s verdict in the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko. In the west you see most of them. In Kiev you see quite a lot of [...]
[...] on the part of current Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, ex-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko was convicted of exceeding her powers while in public office and sentenced to seven years in [...]