Leader of “Batkivshchyna” Yulia Tymoshenko. Photo from Facebook
Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who is due to receive a preventive measure on January 16 in the case of offering a bribe, said that the tapes released by NABU were falsified because such a conversation “never happened in her life.”
Source: politician before a meeting of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court
Direct speech by Tymoshenko: “First of all, I want to say very clearly that I never said such words. Today I will present evidence in court that this audio track is absolutely falsified.”
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Details: When asked by journalists whether she offered the deputies money, the leader of Batkivshchyna repeated: “I have never had such a conversation in my life. Never in my life.”
In response to the remark that the video contains a phrase about the desire to “destroy the majority,” Tymoshenko said that there was no such thing.
“I’m telling you that this conversation does not exist. And I hope that today they will give us these materials – the original – for examination. And we will conduct an independent examination that will give all the answers to all the questions. This is an absolutely custom-made political action,” the politician said.
She also added that there could be no preventive measure against her.
“There is no crime event, and there can be no preventive measures. Because everything you see is an act of political absurdity,” Tymoshenko summed up.
Background:
- On the evening of January 13, NABU and SAPO reported that they had exposed the head of one of the factions in the Verkhovna Rada for corruption, while at the same time, UP sources reported that they were talking about Yulia Tymoshenko.
- Anti-corruption authorities said that the leader of one of the parliamentary factions was exposed for offering undue benefits to a number of MPs belonging to factions not led by this person for voting “for” or “against” specific bills.
- Preliminary qualification of the case: Part 4 of Art. 369 (offer, promise or provision of unlawful benefit to an official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
- On the morning of January 14, interlocutors of the UP in political circles reported that anti-corruption authorities announced suspicion of the head of the Batkivshchyna faction, Yulia Tymoshenko.
- Tymoshenko later confirmed searches were carried out at the party’s office, but said she rejected all accusations.
- She later stated that the searches in her office began at 21:30 on January 13, when she was alone in the room, that anti-corruption officials arrived on 5 buses, without a court order, did not allow her to call a lawyer and also searched the office of People’s Deputy of the political force Sergei Vlasenko, which was closed.
- NABU and SAPO officially announced the announcement of suspicion of the leader of one of the parliamentary factions of the Verkhovna Rada in the proposal to provide unlawful benefits to people’s deputies on an ongoing basis.
- In the recordings released by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the leader of the Batkivshchyna faction, Yulia Tymoshenko, allegedly discusses with an unknown MP the payment system for specific votes in the Verkhovna Rada.