Yulia Tymoshenko was giving bribes in Russia in the '90s?

In particular, the Temporary Investigative Commission in the Verkhovna Rada has gathered evidence that the former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko committed treason. The main military prosecutor's office in Russia helped the committee of the Ukrainian parliament to gather evidence.

According to Inna Bogoslovska, the head of the commission, Ukraine has received from the Russian party "the main document confirming the fact of personal interest of Yulia Tymoshenko in signing disadvantageous for Ukraine gas contracts". The document in question is a copy of the resolution to dismiss the criminal case against Mrs. Tymoshenko because of non-rehabilitation circumstances, which Bogoslovska posted in her blog of the Internet publication "Ukrayins'ka Pravda", on March 13, 2012.
   
The resolution describes some of the circumstances of the criminal case against Yulia Tymoshenko, the former head of the corporation "United Energy Systems of Ukraine" (UESU), according to Part 3 Art. 33 and Part 2 Art. 291 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation ("giving bribes to official, foreign official or official of a public international organization personally or through an intermediary"). This criminal case was initiated in 2001 by the main military prosecutor's office in Russia based on complain of Vladyslav Litvinov, former head of the Moscow department of the UESU. In his complain, addressed to the Chief Military Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, Litvinov noted that he got an order personally from Yulia Tymoshenko to transfer the money to the officials from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

"She (Tymoshenko - auth.), as always, was denying this. But the Temporary Investigation Commission of the Verkhovna Rada finally received the full text of the Resolution from Russia. In this resolution, as in a good documentary, it is shown and proved that Tymoshenko's activities in Russia were based on deep corruption. The case was dismissed with the consent of Tymoshenko for non-rehabilitation grounds. This means that she pleaded guilty to bribery", Bogoslovska commented on the resolution.

According to Bogoslovska, the document confirms the facts of the conflict of interest and direct dependence of the former Prime Minister on the Russian party, which did not allow her both from the point of view of European ethics and from the point of view of Ukrainian legislation to take part in gas negotiations. Moreover, forcing her subordinate Oleg Dubyna, the head of "Naftogaz Ukraine", to sign obviously disadvantageous for Ukraine contract.

"Here (Resolution - auth.) it is also proved that the offshore companies "Somolly Enterprises Ltd" "Corlan Enterprises Ltd" belonged to Tymoshenko, she was also the manager of the accounts, and the bribes were paid using this money. Now it's not just proved that the bribes were paid to Lazarenko using this money, stolen from Ukraine and Russia, but to Russian officials as well", clarifies Bogoslovska.

Announcement of the final results of work of the parliamentary commission for "investigation of the circumstances of signing gas agreements between "Naftogaz Ukraine" and "Gazprom" regarding the state treason..." is scheduled for March 16 in the Verkhovna Rada.

In case if the Prosecutor General of Ukraine opens a criminal case based on the FAC, the term of imprisonment of Yulia Tymoshenko may go up to 15 years (Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Treason" implies a penalty of imprisonment from 10 to 15 years).

By Steven Whitehead