Ukrainian Prosecutors File Lawsuit Against Tymoshenko Officials

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office filed a lawsuit in court against officials from the government of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, accusing them of embezzling state budget money.

Five Cabinet officials who worked for the Ministry for Emergency Situations in 2007-2010 were charged with stealing funds allocated to purchase 27 ambulances, causing a loss of 33.8 million hryvnia ($4.2 million) to the state, the office, based in the capital, Kiev, said today on its website. The officials are under arrest, according to the statement.

Tymoshenko, 51, was sentenced in October to seven years in prison for abuse of office when signing a 10-year natural-gas supply and transit agreement with Russia in 2009. She says President Viktor Yanukovych engineered the case to prevent her from participating in parliamentary elections scheduled for October. The European Union has sought Tymoshenko’s release.

Three members of her Cabinet have been jailed this year. Tymoshenko began a hunger strike 19 days ago over claims of abuse in prison.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kiev at dkrasnolutsk@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net