NABU and SAP informed Tymoshenko of the suspicion – she rejects the accusations
14 January 10:18
Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna party, announced the completion of nighttime “urgent investigative actions” at the party’s office, which, according to her, lasted all night and took place without the presentation of any procedural documents. The politician wrote about this on social media, calling the event political pressure and a “grand PR stunt,” according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Tymoshenko’s version: “without documents and with the seizure of personal belongings”
According to Tymoshenko, more than 30 armed men broke into the building without presenting any documents, effectively blocking it and restricting the freedom of office staff. She claims that the security forces did not provide any court orders or official decisions.
“So-called ‘urgent investigative actions’ that have nothing to do with law and justice,” the politician emphasized.
Tymoshenko drew parallels with the events of the Revolution of Dignity, stating that the last time such actions took place was during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, but then the security forces at least had formal court documents.
“A search as a PR stunt”
The leader of Batkivshchyna stated that no evidence of illegal activity was found as a result of the searches. At the same time, according to her, law enforcement officers seized:
- work phones;
- parliamentary documents;
- personal savings, which, according to Tymoshenko, are fully declared in official documents.
She called the actions of the security forces a “grand PR stunt” and categorically rejected all accusations made publicly.
Statement about political motives
Yulia Tymoshenko linked the searches to possible preparations for the election process, stating that “the elections are much closer than they seem” and that the actions of the security forces may be an attempt to eliminate political rivals.
“This is not the first political order against me. Persecution and terror have been my daily routine for many years,” she wrote.
The politician stressed that she does not believe such actions are capable of breaking her or forcing her to give up political activity.
Tymoshenko’s position
In conclusion, Tymoshenko stated that she is not afraid of pressure, considers herself honest before society and the state, and assured that her team “will prove the truth this time as well.”
The party leader did not disclose the details of the case or what exactly she is accused of. She also did not say whether she had been served with a notice of suspicion.
At present, there are no official comments from law enforcement agencies regarding the politician’s statements.
What is known about the Tymoshenko case
On January 13, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that they had exposed the leader of one of the Verkhovna Rada factions for offering illegal benefits to MPs from other political forces in exchange for voting “for” or “against” specific bills.
The SAPO statement emphasizes that this is a preliminary legal assessment and that only a court can make a final conclusion. The preliminary classification is Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (offering, promising, or providing an illegal benefit to a public official), which carries a penalty of 4 to 8 years in prison.
People’s Deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko stated that, according to his information, the SAP had exposed the leader of the Batkivshchyna faction, Yulia Tymoshenko. According to the MP, this concerns negotiations with individual MPs regarding their transition or informal joining of the faction in exchange for money, and the materials were allegedly transferred to the NABU. These statements are the position of an individual politician and do not imply a finding of guilt.
What’s next
The NABU and SAPO have announced that details of the case will be made public at a later date.
At the same time, journalist Mykhailo Tkach reportedthat Tymoshenko received a suspicion notice from NABU and SAPO in the morning.
“Yulia Tymoshenko received a notice of suspicion from NABU and SAPO this morning. This was reported by Ukrainian Truth sources in political circles,” Tkach wrote.
No official details about the nature of the suspicion have been released yet.
Proceedings are ongoing, and all parties involved are presumed innocent.
Tymoshenko already has experience of criminal prosecution
The leader of the Batkivshchyna party, Yulia Tymoshenko, has been under investigation several times in the past and has served time in prison. She was first placed in a detention center in 2001, during the presidency of Leonid Kuchma. This happened after she became an active opponent of the government. At that time, Tymoshenko was charged with gas smuggling and spent about 40 days behind bars.
The second high-profile episode occurred in 2011, during Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency. Tymoshenko was accused of exceeding her official powers when concluding gas contracts with Russia’s Gazprom in 2009. The court sentenced her to seven years in prison.
In fact, Yulia Tymoshenko was imprisoned from August 2011 to February 2014 — a total of about two and a half years. European institutions actively demanded her release, and mass protests were held in Ukraine in her support.
What is known about the Batkivshchyna party
The All-Ukrainian Union Batkivshchyna is a Ukrainian centrist political party. It is led by Ukrainian MP and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The party was first represented in the Verkhovna Rada in 2002. Since 2008, Batkivshchyna has been a member of the supervisory board of the European People’s Party.
In the 2012 parliamentary elections, the political force participated as part of the united opposition under the Batkivshchyna brand. The list was headed by the then leader of the Front for Change party, Arseniy Yatsenyuk. In 2013, the Front for Change and Reforms and Order parties joined Batkivshchyna.
In the 2014 Verkhovna Rada elections, Yulia Tymoshenko, Nadiya Savchenko, Ihor Lutsenko, Serhiy Sobolev, and Alona Shkrum were among the top five on the electoral list.
Before the early parliamentary elections in 2019, the party formed a political alliance with Serhiy Taruta’s Osnova party and former SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko. The top five on the list at that time were Yulia Tymoshenko, Serhiy Taruta, Valentin Nalyvaichenko, Serhiy Sobolev, and Olena Kondratyuk.
In the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the IX convocation, the Batkivshchyna party is represented by a faction of 25 people’s deputies.
