The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine acted illegally in handing Yulia Tymoshenko the order on the opening of a criminal case against her, claims Viktor Shvets, MP and chairman of the parliamentary committee on legislative support of law enforcement.

"The senior investigator of the Prosecutor General’s Office, O. Pushkar, did not have the legal right to hand Yulia Tymoshenko copies of the order opening criminal cases against her from May 19, 2004 and June 8, 2004 because these cases were closed in a legal way and this prevents further inquiry into them," explained Viktor Shvets.

He recalled that the order closing the case against Yulia Tymoshenko was issued by the Prosecutor General on January 21, 2005 in accordance with section 2 of article 15 and section 1 of article 269 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and section 8 of article 27, section 2 of article 15 and section 2 of article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - in the absence of any criminal actions, and that that Prosecutor General agreed with this decision by the senior prosecutor V. D. Besuhly.

"Such illegal actions by the Prosecutor General’s Office are a sign of the beginning of political repression in Ukraine and the fact that the Prosecutor General’s Office is being used by the government as a tool of political reprisal against the opposition and Yulia Tymoshenko in particular," Viktor Shvets said in his statement.

He argues that it is inadmissible to use law enforcement and the prosecutor's office in relations between political forces in Ukraine "moreover, as a tool of political reprisal with the ruling government’s political opponents." "Politicizing the state justice system may result in substantial violations of rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine," explained Viktor Shvets.

As reported, today, May 12, Yulia Tymoshenko was called out to the central investigation department of the Prosecutor General’s Office to be handed the order opening a criminal case against her.

The case was opened during the times of President Leonid Kuchma, on May 19, 2003. "This case was fabricated back in 2003 by Kuchma and he himself closed it because it looked absurd even to the corrupt courts," Yulia Tymoshenko said today following her meeting with the investigating officer.

She accused Yanukovych’s government of "trying to untie their hands so that they can do as they please with the country without any resistance from the opposition."

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