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Judge in Ukraine ex-PM trial suggests she's guilty

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Reported by: AP/UNBconnect
Reported on: Oct 11, 2011 03:07 pm
Reported in: International
KIEV, OCT 11 (AP/UNB) - The judge in the abuse-of-office trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko gave strong indication she would be found guilty Tuesday, saying in his summary that she caused major losses to the national gas company.

Under Ukrainian court procedures, a decision contains a lengthy summary of the case, with the verdict and possible sentence announced at the end.

But in the course of the reading, Judge Rodion Kireyev said Tymoshenko inflicted damages of some 1.5 billion hryvna ($190 million) on the company by signing an import contract with Russia in 2009. Prosecutors claim she violated legal procedures in signing the contract.

Hundreds of Tymoshenko's backers meanwhile blocked traffic on a main Kiev avenue and tried to march to the court.