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Timoshenko might be faking illness - prosecutors

The appeals court also said it saw no grounds to revise its December 1 ruling

KIEV, December 14 (Itar-Tass) — A Ukrainian prosecutor said she could not rule out that former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko might be faking her illness. "One gets the impression that she fakes being sick," Lilia Frolova told reporters on Wednesday, in comments on Timoshenko's absence at the hearing earlier in the day.

She added that earlier, the prosecutors had forwarded a medical certificate to the court stating that the ex premier was fit to participate in the review of her appeal.

The prosecutor denied the statement by Timoshenko's lawyer that the document was a fake.

Timoshenko's lawyers had repeatedly appealed to suspend the review of their petition to give Timoshenko time to have medical treatment.

Their client need urgent treatment outside of remand prison, the lawyers claimed. The court did not grant these petitions saying the defense's position was not substantiated.

On Wednesday, Kiev's appeals court did not grant the petition for a softer measure of restraint for Timoshenko.

It said the lawyers had not shown "the proofs of Timoshenko's poor state of health."

The appeals court also said it saw no grounds to revise its December 1 ruling.

"There are no reasons for repeat preliminary review of the petition earlier voiced by Timoshenko's lawyer Yuri Sukhov, presiding judge Yelena Sitailo announced.

The criminal procedural code does not envision the procedure of repeat preliminary review, Sitailo added.

On December 1, the appeals court refused to grant all Timoshenko’s petitions, including suspension of the proceedings until she convalesced and a new pre-trial investigation.

On October 11, 2011, Kiev's Pechora distinct court sentenced the former prime minister to seven years in prison with a three-year ban on civil service jobs. It found her guilty of exceeding her authority when signing gas contracts with Russia.

Timoshenko denied her guilt and her lawyers demanded her full exoneration.

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