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| Ukraine and the Tymoshenko case | Ukraine and the Tymoshenko case |
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| Yulia Tymoshenko is far from being Europe's Aung San Suu Kyi (Comment, 24 October). Geoffrey Robertson's allegations that Ukraine's judicial system is "still Stalinist" demonstrate a profound lack of knowledge about our current legal system. It has already undergone dramatic changes according to European standards and this transformation is not yet complete. Yes, the Ukrainian judiciary is still not perfect. But it is the one we have at hand and it is equally applied to all. The court's decision on Tymoshenko was clear. She grossly violated provisions of the criminal code – adopted, by the way, in 2001 and praised by European experts. Her unilateral decision, contrary to the explicit opinion of the government, amounted to an unprecedented abuse of office which cost Ukrainian taxpayers hundreds of millions of US dollars. The assertion that her decision was meant to "avert a humanitarian crisis in central Europe" is a huge overexaggeration. | Yulia Tymoshenko is far from being Europe's Aung San Suu Kyi (Comment, 24 October). Geoffrey Robertson's allegations that Ukraine's judicial system is "still Stalinist" demonstrate a profound lack of knowledge about our current legal system. It has already undergone dramatic changes according to European standards and this transformation is not yet complete. Yes, the Ukrainian judiciary is still not perfect. But it is the one we have at hand and it is equally applied to all. The court's decision on Tymoshenko was clear. She grossly violated provisions of the criminal code – adopted, by the way, in 2001 and praised by European experts. Her unilateral decision, contrary to the explicit opinion of the government, amounted to an unprecedented abuse of office which cost Ukrainian taxpayers hundreds of millions of US dollars. The assertion that her decision was meant to "avert a humanitarian crisis in central Europe" is a huge overexaggeration. |
| Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych, inherited this case from the then president, Viktor Yuschenko, who ordered in February 2009 that the National Security and Defence Council investigate the circumstances of Tymoshenko's involvement in the notorious gas deal. Maybe the then PM did not benefit personally from the economically disastrous gas deal with Russia. But in a mysterious way, soon after that deal was signed, the Russian side "forgot", alas temporarily, the $405.3m debt of the energy company UESU, previously owned by Tymoshenko. | Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych, inherited this case from the then president, Viktor Yuschenko, who ordered in February 2009 that the National Security and Defence Council investigate the circumstances of Tymoshenko's involvement in the notorious gas deal. Maybe the then PM did not benefit personally from the economically disastrous gas deal with Russia. But in a mysterious way, soon after that deal was signed, the Russian side "forgot", alas temporarily, the $405.3m debt of the energy company UESU, previously owned by Tymoshenko. |
| The judicial process is not over yet. After having lost an appeal, the case is now before the European court of human rights. Let's wait and see. Volodymyr Khandogiy Ambassador of Ukraine | The judicial process is not over yet. After having lost an appeal, the case is now before the European court of human rights. Let's wait and see. Volodymyr Khandogiy Ambassador of Ukraine |
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