New twist in Tymoshenko case: NABU returns funds seized during search
27 February 09:47
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has complied with the ruling of the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court and returned to MP Yulia Tymoshenko the funds seized from her during a search.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by the lawyer of the leader of the Batkivshchyna party, according to Komersant.
According to the lawyer, the return of the funds is another step towards restoring justice, and the charges brought against her are illegal, which has been repeatedly established during court hearings.
Tymoshenko’s lawyer added that he sees positive dynamics in the consideration of his client’s case and expressed optimism about the further course of the proceedings.
Earlier, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled to lift the seizure of part of the property of the leader of the Batkivshchyna faction, People’s Deputy Yulia Tymoshenko, and her husband Oleksandr Tymoshenko.
The court also canceled the seizure of $6,300 seized during a search by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
On January 21, the High Anti-Corruption Court allowed the seizure of Tymoshenko’s property confiscated during searches and property registered in her husband’s name.
Suspicion from NABU
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office exposed the leader of one of the factions for attempting to bribe MPs.
According to the investigation, the suspect initiated negotiations with individual MPs on the introduction of a systematic mechanism for providing unlawful benefits in exchange for loyal behavior during voting.
On January 14, NABU and SAP announced their suspicion of Yulia Tymoshenko. At the same time, she responded to the searches in her office, calling it a “PR stunt” and “political order.”
The case was preliminarily classified under the article on offering, promising, or providing unlawful benefits to a public official (Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The article provides for imprisonment of 5 to 10 years with confiscation of property.
On January 16, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on Tymoshenko in the form of bail in excess of 33 million hryvnia.
At the same time, Tymoshenko had previously stated that her accounts had been blocked, which prevented her from paying bail in a case she considers politically motivated.
Tymoshenko has been under investigation several times
Yulia Tymoshenko, former prime minister and leader of the Batkivshchyna party, has been under investigation several times.
She was first sent to a pre-trial detention center during Leonid Kuchma’s presidency in 2001 on charges of gas smuggling. However, she only spent about 40 days there.
In 2011, after Viktor Yanukovych came to power, she was accused of exceeding her authority when signing an agreement with Russia’s Gazprom in 2009.
As a result, the court found her guilty and sentenced her to seven years in prison. Tymoshenko spent two and a half years in prison, from August 2011 to February 2014. She was released after Yanukovych fled to Russia.
