So Yulia Tymshenko has been arrested - generating quite a reaction...
After weeks of 'dissing' the court, why now?
Yesterday, Yuriy Yekhanurov, who replaced Tymoshenko as PM after she was sacked by Yushchenko in 2005, was cross-examined by her for several hours in court.
Today the current PM, Mykola Azarov was getting the same treatment. Despite her best efforts, Tymoshenko was continuously prevented from quizzing these two characters about infamous gas intermediary RosUkrEnergo.
In January 2006 Yekhanurov signed a murky gas deal with Gazprom involving RUE which, at the time, even foremost experts in the field could not untangle and interpret. In April last year Azarov did a shady deal with Putin on gas - most controversially linking the price of gas to the lease on the Sevastopol naval base used by the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Minister of Energy, Yuriy Boyko, a former head of NaftoHaz Ukrainy closely associated with the introduction of RUE into the Russian/Ukrainian gas business, was also about to be called as a witness today. He was pelted by Tymoshenko supporters outside the courthouse.
My guess is these people, Tymoshenko's biggest political opponents, had had enough of the spotlight being thrown on RUE. Hence the court's decision to 'pay back' Tymoshenko and imprison her.
Because she is accused of signing a gas contract in 2009 that was allegedly financially harmful to Ukraine's interests, it was surely not unreasonable for her to bring up the historical background to this deal in the courtroom, to shed some light on why she struck the deal she did.
She is also accused of abuse of power linked to the signing of these 2009 gas contracts, but, most unfairly, her requests for impartial experts in constitutional and government law, and NaftoHaz's external auditors familiar with the company's finances to be called as witnesses for the defence, were denied yesterday. However her biggest political opponents, who inevitably would give biassed evidence, were called. Now she has to pay the price..
'Front Zmin' leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk, until now lukewarm in his support of Tymoshenko, was swift and forthright in his condemnation of today's arrest. "A rubicon has been crossed, democracy has been terminated..." he says.
Today was certainly a watershed...the attitude of European politicians to Ukraine's current authorities will now radically, and probably irreversibly, change..
p.s. Tymoshenko has found a powerful ally - World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Vitaliy Klichko who has interrupted his training and returned to Kyiv at this moment of crisis. He claims Ukraine's democratic gains since independence 20 years ago are at risk..
4 comments:
I think you're right.
In a stalinist show trial, which this is, the verdict is pre-arranged - it's written ahead of time, and the outcome is certain, no matter what the evidence.
Mr. Dubyna testified that RUE representatives were in former president Yushchenko's office and in that of his chief of staff, Victor Baloha. Clearly, Yushchenko was an RUE supporter, and his brother received $50 million from Firtash, the owner of the Ukrainian side of RUE.
This is payback for getting rid of RUE.
And --- in typical sovok russian style, these mafiosi, Boyko, Firtash, Yanukonvikt and the rest, don't want to risk any evidence coming out about RUE.
The exchange with Azarov was quite heated - and the exchange with little fat boy Yekhanurov was quite testy.
The mafiosi sovok don't want to risk any sort of evidence coming out about RUE.
I think you are absolutely right.
So - are the going try her now in absentia, because "noone seems to know which jail she's in."
I don't mean to hog your blog, but the point about the stalinist show trial I was trying to make is this.
In a stalinist show trial, the outcome is pre-determined.
So what does it matter if the defendant snorts, pees, picks his ass or nose, "disses" the "judge," spits on the floor or farts in court?
The outcome is already written - it doesn't matter what the evidence is.
So your theory that they didn't want any evidence to come out about RUE rings very, very true.
Interesting - the assholes from the Party of Regions "softly" admit that the court system in Ukraine is not "досконалий" - not quite right.
Yet it's still very, very important for these sovok mafiosi jerks for Tymoshenko to stand when addressing the "judge."
Ceremony is very important to these sovok mafia.
Oliynyk, one of the "lawyers" who is a member of Parliament and frequently appears on political talk shows, just appeared on Channel 5 to whine about how Tymoshenko won't stand in court, and "disses" the court.
He also admitted that the court system in Ukraine is not "досконалий" - not quite "right" - but nevertheless, other people, horror of horrors, might follow Yulia's example and not stand to address the judge!!!!!
Stupid putz.
Here's the link:
http://5.ua/newsline/250/0/80262/
Lillia Frolova, one of the 3 prosecutors, also gets her face on the news show to whine about Tymoshenko's behavior. Very odd.
Thanks for your comments Elmer. The arrest of Tymoshenko is a big game-changer. The current Ukr leadership do not realise what a big effect this will have in their relationship with the EU.
It is indeed a huge game-changer. For years, the sovok mafia has been trying to have its cake and eat it too - the "Ukrainian third way" - and money kept pouring in from the West for various reasons.
But I really don't see why the EU would want to consort with a sovok police state, much less admit a sovok police state into membership.
Here is an excellent account of the questioning of Azarov, including questions about RUE, leading up to the arrest of Tymoshenko by Mustafa Nayem, one of the best journalists in Ukraine:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2011/08/6/6458792/
It turns out that while zArazov was speaking, the "judge" said nothing - no matter what the jerk said.
And he said it in rashan, even though the law is that Ukrainian must be used in Ukrainian courts. So we have a Prime Minister of Ukraine who does not know the language of his country.
Whenever Tymo asked a question - she was cut off.
And there were insults hurled back and forth - about corruption. Which is a long-standing game in Ukraine - except that very little is done about corruption.
Only the "judge" and the "prosecutors" knew that zArazov was going to appear as a "witness" - what kind of criminal procedure is that?
It's "trial by ambush" - it is unheard of in civilized democratic countries for prosecutors not to provide a list of witnesses prior to trial to the defense.
There is absolutely no doubt that this is a stalinist show trial.
The only difference is that under stalin there were 3 "judges."
Here there is no judge at all - only directions from yanukonvikt and his strategists from the Party of Regions.
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