[EN] Ю.Тимошенко знову передумала їхати до суду, хоч їй підготували транспорт і конвой

KYIV. February 15. UNN.

The State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine reported that the convicted former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko refused to be transported to Kyiv to participate in a court hearing scheduled for today, February 15, due to her health condition. This was

reported by the press service of the State Penitentiary Service (SPSU).

"SPSU employees visited Yu. Tymoshenko again to inform her of the time and conditions of transportation... to the city of Kyiv to participate in the court hearing.

As is known, the day before, the convict wrote several statements addressed to the head of the Kachanivska penal colony, in which she requested to be informed about the details of the transportation.

Despite her own submitted statements, in response to a direct proposal from the penal colony staff to be transported to Kyiv on the morning of February 15, the convict stated that due to her health condition, she could not be present at the court session during the witness interrogation in Kyiv.

The convict also stated that she accuses the SPSU of violating certain legal norms in the event of her transportation.

Employees of the State Penitentiary Service referred to her previous statement, which she had written earlier to the colony management, allegedly with the intention of being present during the interrogation; however, the convict never provided a clear answer to the direct question of whether she agreed to be transported to Kyiv.

Instead, the convict claimed alleged violations of the law by the staff of the Kachanivska penal colony in connection with the attempt to transport her, and therefore stated that she did not intend to do so.

Accordingly, the SPSU reiterates that it does not intend to transport the convict Yu. Tymoshenko against her will, in order to prevent provocations and accusations against the service.

The correctional facility staff drew up a corresponding act regarding the fact that Yu. Tymoshenko ultimately does not wish to be present at the court hearing. These documents will be submitted to the court," the agency's press service said in a statement.

As a reminder, on February 14, around 8:00 PM, the SPSU released information that Yu. Tymoshenko would be brought to the court hearing in Kyiv.

“There are no obstacles on our part in this matter. We are ready to deliver the convict. For this, transport and a ready convoy are already available. Moreover, there is her statement and the doctors' conclusions, which clearly state that she is fit to travel to Kyiv based on her health condition,” said Ihor Andrushko, assistant to the Head of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine.

Currently, the following information has appeared on the official website of the SPSU: “The State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine reports that today, employees of the Kachanivska penal colony (No. 54) familiarized the convict Yu. Tymoshenko with the court summons for tomorrow, February 15, to participate in the interrogation of a witness in the case regarding the organization of the murder of People's Deputy Y. Shcherban.

Yu. Tymoshenko stated that she does not refuse to participate in the court session. The convict's statement was recorded via video and documented in an act to avoid further provocations currently being carried out by both the convict herself and her defense lawyers against the state penitentiary service.

Furthermore, despite her categorical refusal to write any statements regarding her position on participating in the court-ordered witness interrogation, the convict Yu. Tymoshenko eventually wrote a corresponding statement addressed to the management of the penal colony and the court, in which she demanded to be brought to the court hearing.

In this regard, the management of the Kachanivska colony turned to the doctors of the Central Clinical Hospital of Ukrzaliznytsia with a written request to provide an assessment of the convict's health condition.

The response from the CCH doctors states that, according to the conclusion of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine commission, there are no health-related obstacles to Yu. Tymoshenko's delivery and participation in the court hearing,” the report says.

As a reminder, a second witness is scheduled to be interrogated tomorrow in the case regarding the murder of Y. Shcherban.

As is known, a hearing regarding the murder of Yevhen Shcherban took place today at the Kyiv Court of Appeal, during which witness I. Maryenkov was interrogated.

I. Maryenkov's testimony is contained in the verdict of the Luhansk Court of Appeal dated April 17, 2003, in the case of Yevhen Kushnir's gang. However, he served as a witness not only in the case of Y. Shcherban's murder.

He gave testimony in the case of the explosion at the Shakhtar stadium on October 15, 1995, which resulted in the death of crime boss Akhat Bragin. Additionally, I. Maryenkov was a witness in the case of the murder of former National Bank head Vadym Hetman, who was shot in April 1998.

During interrogations in these cases, Maryenkov, among other things, spoke about the relationship between former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko and Yevhen Kushnir and members of his gang, whom the court found guilty of organizing the murder of Y. Shcherban.

From the testimony in the Shakhtar stadium explosion case, it follows that by early 1994, he was already engaged in commercial activities. At that time, I. Maryenkov was on good terms with a certain Lyubarsky, who introduced him to Kushnir in Prague in December 1994 – early January 1995, and in the spring of 1996 in Dnipropetrovsk – to another gang leader, Oleksandr Milchenko, nicknamed 'Matros' (The Sailor). Additionally, in the summer of 1997, Maryenkov twice saw Vadym Bolotskykh (one of the perpetrators of Y. Shcherban's murder, who is currently serving a life sentence).

I. Maryenkov also stated that P. Lazarenko was a business partner of Kushnir and another gang member, Anatoliy Ryabin.