Azernews.Az

KYIV – Ukraine's state prosecutors office Thursday announced new criminal charges against former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko over the alleged illegal purchase of 1,000 vehicles in the run-up to the 2010 presidential election, Reuters reported.

Tymoshenko, who lost a run-off vote to President Viktor Yanukovich last February after a bitterly-fought campaign, has already been charged with abuse of office while she was prime minister from 2007-10.

In a statement, the state prosecutor's office said Tymoshenko had exceeded her powers by arranging delivery from abroad of 1,000 Opel Combo vehicles which were ostensibly to be used for medical assistance, but which in fact were not equipped to carry out any designated medical task.

Members of Yanukovich's camp say the imported vehicles, bought with state money, were used by Tymoshenko for political campaigning during her unsuccessful bid for office.

The purchases had caused a loss to the state of 67 million hryvnias (about Ј5.3 million), the statement said.

Tymoshenko has dismissed the accusations as part of a vendetta by Yanukovich against her and her close associates.

Referring to the new charge Thursday, Tymoshenko said on her website: "This is a completely criminal act against me. It has no basis ... We will prove to the world and the whole of Ukrainian society that all this is simply political repression."

A former interior minister, Yuri Lutsenko, is being held on charges of abuse of office involving embezzlement of state funds, while former environment minister Georgy Filipchuk also faces criminal charges.

Another Tymoshenko ally, former economy minister Bohdan Danylyshyn, fled Ukraine and has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic.

Tymoshenko has been ordered not to leave the country and is regularly summoned by prosecutors for questioning.