KIEV, August 12 (Itar-Tass) — Lawyers of Yulia Timoshenko will appeal to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal’s refusal to consider a motion changing a measure of restraint against Ukraine’s ex-prime minister.
“We will undoubtedly appeal to the Supreme Court against this decision,” Timoshenko’s lawyer Yuri Sukhov said on Friday. “I know that most probably, the Supreme Court will do the same.”
He described as “judicial lawlessness” the Kiev Court of Appeal’s refusal to consider Timoshenko’s complaint.
“The only hope left is for ‘the fourth power’ – journalists, because the third power – judicial, absolutely does not work. After today’s decision I can express my personal point of view that Ukraine has no judicial system. This is simply judicial lawlessness, when an arrested person cannot appeal against his/her arrest,” the lawyer said.
On Friday, the Kiev Court of Appeal rejected a motion to cancel the arrest of the ex-prime minister. Timoshenko has been staying in the Lukyanovsky detention centre since August 5, when the Pechersky District Court sanctioned her arrest.
She is accused of office abuse while signing gas contracts with Russia in 2009, whose damage to Ukraine is estimated at around 200 million dollars.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Timoshenko’s arrest noting that “all gas contracts of 2009 were signed in strict compliance with the national legislations of both countries and the international law and their signing was instructed by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.”
According to the statement “the trial against Yulia Timoshenko should be fair and unbiased and meet all provisions of Ukraine’s legislation and ensure defense and compliance with elementary humanitarian rules and norms.”
The next hearing on the Timoshenko case will take place at the Pechersky District Court on August 15.