Ukraine names Tymoshenko witness in murder case

Ukraine’s general prosecutor named jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko a witness in the murder of MP Yevgen Shcherban, who was killed in Donetsk in 1996. He said an investigation into the murder was ongoing. Ukrainian prosecutors had previously implicated Tymoshenko and another former prime minister, Pavlo Lazarenko (1996-1997), who is now in a U.S. jail on corruption charges. Both Tymoshenko and Lazarenko have denied involvement in the murder.

Brad Wells: Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office appears keen to keep pressure on Tymoshenko, despite international criticism of the cases against her and other opposition politicians. We continue to believe little progress will be made in the coming weeks, until after the eyes of the world are off Ukraine following Euro-2012 (June 8 – July 1).