Ukrainian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko said the criminal case opened against her in Russia was closed due to a lack of evidence.
In 2001, Tymoshenko was accused of giving a bribe to Russian defense ministry officials. In 2004, she was put on a wanted list by the Moscow military court. In 2005, the case was closed due to a statute of limitations.
"It (the case) was closed due to lack of evidence," she said adding that she has documents that prove that she, her friends and relatives are innocent.
According to Tymoshenko, under then President Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine managed to pay for only 30% of gas exported from Russia under contracts with a company she headed at the time. She took the initiative to pay for Russian gas from the company's budget, rather than leaving the funds in an account.
Russia and Ukraine had several energy-related disputes in the past, leading to disruption of gas supplies to European consumers.
Relations between the two neighbors have soured in recent years, as Ukraine's pro-Western leaders have sought to join NATO and the European Union. Moscow and Kiev have also been embroiled in bitter disputes over natural gas supplies and Russia's war with Georgia over South Ossetia.
KIEV, January 26 (RIA Novosti)
