Kyiv appeals court upholds Lutsenko sentence

Yesterday the Kyiv Court of Appeals upheld a guilty verdict handed down by a Kyiv district court against former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, who was sentenced in February to four years in jail for abuse of office. Lutsenko is the second highest ranking former government official (after former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko) to be jailed since Yanukovych came to office.

Brad Wells: We are pessimistic on the chances Lutsenko, Tymoshenko, or other members of the opposition have in Ukrainian courts at this point and expect little leniency from judges and prosecutors. While both a new criminal case against Tymoshenko and hearings into an appeal against her October 2011 sentencing have both been temporarily delayed by Ukrainian courts this month and will likely be postponed until after the Euro-2012 fanfare, there is also little doubt among observers that the ultimate rulings will also be against Tymoshenko.