U.S. Legal Experts Find Problems in Tymoshenko Trial

Dec. 13, 2012

KIEV — A U.S. law firm hired by the Ukrainian government concluded that the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was rife with problems, including the violation of her right to defense and her unfair imprisonment.

But the report by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, commissioned by the Ukrainian Justice Ministry and released Thursday, dismissed Tymoshenko's allegations of being prosecuted on political grounds.

Tymoshenko, the country's top opposition leader, is serving a seven-year term on charges of abuse of office, charges condemned by Western nations as politically motivated. Tymoshenko says her chief opponent, President Viktor Yanukovych, threw her in jail to bar her from politics.

There was no immediate comment from Tymoshenko's office.

(AP)

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