Ukraine Investigates Tymoshenko over Russian gas deal
KYIV – Ukraine's state prosecutor's office has launched a criminal case against former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko over a gas deal she reached with Russia in 2009, Radio Liberty reported.
First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin said on Monday that a criminal case has been launched against the former prime minister "over abuse of power linked to the signing of gas contracts in 2009."
He was referring to a January 2009 deal between Tymoshenko and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Russian gas supplies.
The agreement ended a standoff that had briefly disrupted Russian gas flows to Europe. It tied the price of gas from Russia's Gazprom to international oil prices.
As a result, Ukraine's gas bill has since been steadily rising.
Yanukovych's government has urged Russia to review the pricing formula but talks have not been successful so far.
Tymoshenko, who stepped down as prime minister after losing the February 2010 presidential election to Viktor Yanukovych, has already been targeted by two separate criminal probes related to the alleged misuse of state funds.
She denies the charges.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!