Ukraine Judge Again Delays Tymoshenko Trial

Posted August 14th, 2012 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

A judge in Ukraine has again delayed the tax evasion and embezzlement trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The judge Tuesday set the next hearing for September 11 after the 51-year-old opposition leader cited her poor health and refused to appear in court in the eastern city of Kharkiv. She is being treated for chronic back problems.

Tymoshenko is on trial for alleged offenses dating to the 1990s. She is already serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office linked to a natural gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009 while she was prime minister.

She says both cases amount to a political vendetta against her by President Viktor Yanukovych, who won a narrow victory over her in 2010 voting.