Ukraine Opens New Case Against Tymoshenko

[Muzh]

Ukraine says it has opened a new criminal case against jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for suspected embezzlement when she was heading a utility firm in the 1990s.

The head of investigations at Ukraine's SBU state security service, Ivan Derevyanko, said Tymoshenko was accused of reassigning a debt of some $405 million -- owed by her company to the Russian Defense Ministry -- to the Ukrainian state budget.

"There is an ongoing pretrial investigation so I cannot disclose any of the circumstances, particularly those related to the evidence in this criminal case," Derevyannko said. "But I can say that the investigation has gathered enough evidence to bring these charges against Tymoshenko."

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine_security_service_targets_tymoshenko_fresh_criminal_charges/24358654.html
 
Who's ready for Round 2?
 
Heh, heh
 
 

[Boethius]

From the link -
 

A member of Tymoshenko’s political faction in parliament, Oleksandr Hudyma, reacted to today’s announcement in an interview with RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service.

"This is simply a belated reaction of the Security Service of Ukraine while the world is talking about political reprisals in Ukraine," Hudyma said. "It looks preposterous and wild, and for me, it is an unpleasant
surprise."

In Brussels, European Union spokesman Michael Mann described the new case against Tymoshenko as “extremely worrying."

This is inaccurate.  There were investigations of this issue in the past.  The problem, in terms of Tymoshenko, is that she never signed any documents.  As I noted previously, she learned that lesson well from Lazarenko.
 
She also had been implicated in the murder of a political opponent, but as with Gongadze, that witness has mysteriously "disappeared".
 
Interesting that Yanukovich supports the Ukrainian bill - likely to pave his own way to continue stealing with impunity.
 
 
 

[JohnDearGreen]

More trouble for Yulia:
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/politics/she-did-it-key-witness-points-finger-at-tymoshenko-324411.html
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/top-witness-points-to-tymoshenko-for-ordering-a-1996-murder-amid-controversy-324350.html

[Muzh]

It's amazing how far money goes in Ukraine. Now you can buy an eyewitness with no problems. Credible eyewitness will cost you a bit more. Still, they have BOGO free.

[Boethius]

I don't think they bought an eyewitness, Muzh.  I think that now that she is safely ensconced in jail, he doesn't have fear.  There is a paper trail in this case, her signature, and a transaction, money from her offshore bank account (so no way Ukraine could control this) to Kirichenko's offshore bank account.


ETA - This was traced after Kirichenko purchased a huge mansion in San Francisco with money from his offshore account.   When the money hit the U.S., it caught the attention of U.S. authorities, and Kirichenko was followed by the FBI.  The U.S. didn't care that these guys were criminals and killers in Ukraine, but that they were laundering money, which undermines the U.S. economy.  So, that's where the paper trail started.