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Ukraine Pursues Kidnapping Charges Against Tymoshenko Lawyer

© RIA Novosti . Sergei TishkovetsSerhiy Vlasenko, the lawyer of Yulia Tymoshenko (archive)
Serhiy Vlasenko, the lawyer of Yulia Tymoshenko (archive) - Sputnik International
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Ukrainian prosecutors said Wednesday they have launched a new criminal case against the lawyer of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko over claims he unlawfully imprisoned his ex-wife.

KIEV, January 15 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian prosecutors said Wednesday they have launched a new criminal case against the lawyer of jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko over claims he unlawfully imprisoned his ex-wife.

Serhiy Vlasenko already faces charges of domestic violence for suspected assault against his former wife. The new charges carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in jail.

Vlasenko said he was unaware of the new charges and only found out about the case from a prosecutor’s office press release.

“I don’t know what it’s all about,” Vlasenko said, adding that he last spoke with prosecutors on Monday.

The lawyer was first called for questioning on domestic violence charges in November last year just as Ukraine was mulling whether to sign a cooperation agreement with the European Union.

He was released from pretrial custody on a $2,700 bail but has been barred from leaving Kiev except for visits to Kharkiv, a city about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital, for consultations with bed-stricken Tymoshenko.

The former premier and opposition leader was convicted over a gas contract with Russia that was deemed financially unfavorable for Ukraine. She has also been accused of organizing the murder of a local politician in 1996. She insists that the charges against her are politically motivated.

Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party say the case against Vlasenko is part of a witch hunt focused on the ex-prime minister’s close associates.

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