Ukraine President says Tymoshenko verdict ‘not final’
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych indicated on Thursday the seven-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko might be commuted.
He said the Tymoshenko case was not over yet as the verdict will be appealed and also that the Ukrainian parliament was currently considering amendments to the Penal Code that could have a bearing on her conviction.
“If the relevant laws are passed, the court will take them into account,” Yanukovych said.
The one-time leader of the Orange Revolution was handed a seven-year sentence for exceeding her powers in signing a gas deal with Russia in 2009.
The verdict has drawn worldwide condemnation.
The EU and the United States have described the trial as politically motivated, and Moscow said it had a “clear anti-Russian subtext.”