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Hearings on Timoshenko case resumed in Kiev

Hearings on the case of Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko were resumed at the Pechersky District Court of Kiev on Friday

KIEV, September 30 (Itar-Tass) — Hearings on the case of Ukrainian ex-Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko were resumed at the Pechersky District Court of Kiev on Friday. The court hearings, chaired by Justice Rodion Kireyev, are attended by three lawyers of Ms. Timoshenko, her husband Alexander Timoshenko, her daughter Eugenia Carr and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions.

During the exchange of replies State Prosecutor Alexander Mikitentko asked the court not to take into consideration technical misprints in the materials of the criminal case during the passing of judgement. In his opinion, the documents on the case “are genuine, and are made properly,” while the misprints in the documents, dated April 31, “do not change in any way the position of the defendant.”

Timoshenko’s lawyers believe the materials have been forged, and demand that the case should be dropped. “No judgement can be passed in this situation,” said Yuri Sukhov, a lawyer.

If the parties do not drag out the exchange of replies, the floor may be given to Ms. Timoshenko on Friday for the lass address. During her speech on Thursday, which lasted four hours, she said she was sure a verdict of guilty would be passed. “The verdict has been written already, and it will be a verdict of guilty. This is typical lynching: a group of people got together, who were assigned the only illegal task: to deal with a person,” she said. She added as well that she would not ask Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich for pardon.

The State prosecutor demands a verdict of seven years of imprisonment for Timoshenko. Her lawyers believe judgement may be passed within the coming ten days.