Ukraine's Timoshenko goes on trial Friday.

KIEV, June 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and now
opposition leader Yulia Timoshenko will go on trial Friday which shesaid
was masterminded by President Viktor Yanukovich in an attempt "to
eliminate a political rival."
Timoshenko, 50, is accused of office abuse while signing gas
agreements with Russia in 2009 which current authorities say were
detrimental for Ukraine as the price was excessively high.
Yanukovich denied any political motivation of the trial. "I would have
done everything so that there was no trial and no problem. But nobody
could bar law enforcers from fulfilling their duties regarding unlawful
actions or violations by Timoshenko or her government members. An open
trial will show who is right and who is guilty," he said in Strasburg.
Timoshenko's party Batkivschina urged the president to ensure a fair
trial and allow a live TV coverage from the courtroom.
The office of the prosecutor general agreed it should be an open and
transparent trial to which media and public representative should be
allowed.
However the Batkivshchina Party said police sealed off the Pechersky
district court on the eve of the trial.
"It is done to bar the opposition from staging a protest at the
entrance to the court and allow people hired by the (ruling) Party of
Regions to rally against Timoshenko," it said.
The former prime minister faces yet another criminal case related to
unlawful use of proceeds from the sale of greenhouse emission quotas and
purchases of ambulances at unreasonably high prices. However it has not
been submitted to court yet.
Timoshenko has faced several lawsuits since mid 1990s. She was
initially accused of smuggling 26 thousand dollars, but the charges were
later dropped. She was then charged with bribery, tax dodging, office
abuse, gas contraband and in February 2001 arrested for 42 days and then
released but restricted in travel. The same year the office of the
prosecutor general requested parliament to strip lawmaker Timoshenko of
immunity, but was rejected.
After Timoshenko was appointed the prime minister in 2005 the Supreme
Court of Ukraine dropped all criminal cases against her and her family
members.
In 2004 the office of the Russian prosecutor general also tried to
bring Timoshenko to criminal responsibility for alleged bribing of defense
ministry officials. However it later dropped the charges. But recently the
Russian defense minister reminded the Ukrainian government the Unified
Energy Systems of Ukraine Company headed by Timoshenko had not repaid a
debt of 405.5 million dollars.