Tymoshenko appeal hearing delayed to August 23

A cassation hearing former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her October 2011 sentencing to seven years in jail for her role in negotiating a gas supply contract with Russia in 2009 was delayed for a third time yesterday until August 28. Ukraine’s specialized supreme court on civil and criminal cases granted a request from prosecutors to delay the hearing because Tymoshenko was not present and was unable to attend the proceedings due to health issues. Earlier this week, a Kharkiv district court delayed a new trial against Tymoshenko on embezzlement until July 23 for the same reason.

Brad Wells: The hearing’s postponement is in line with our expectations, following the embezzlement case delay (see our news on July 11). Overall, we view both of these new delays as broadly positive as the prosecution appears to have finally taken account some criticism of how previous court proceedings against opposition politicians were handled. We continue to think that Tymoshenko will remain in jail for quite some time; regardless of the outcome of this appeal, other criminal cases pending against her will be sufficient cause to keep her behind bars. Tymoshenko is currently undergoing treatment on her spine and we might see a couple more postponements until Tymoshenko’s health recovers enough for her to return to court in person.