Today, an HACC investigating judge decided to consider an SAPO prosecutor’s motion to freeze the assets of the Tymoshenko spouses in closed session. The judge explained that this was necessary to prevent the disclosure of information about the owners’ private and family life, or circumstances that could undermine a person’s dignity.

The defense insisted on an open hearing. However, a NABU detective argued that the case contains information that was not disclosed when the interim measure was chosen for the suspect last Friday.

When this issue was being considered, it also did not go without unfounded accusations from the suspect and her support group. In particular, the head of the Batkivshchyna parliamentary faction called the NABU detective a terrorist and described the process overall as “...a kangaroo court together with terrorists from NABU and SAPO...”. She also added: “...this is how this political-terrorist organization, NABU–SAPO, works, along with the anti-corruption court and its corrupt and dependent judges, who are part of this criminal plot...”. 

Attempts to turn criminal proceedings into a political show only underscore the importance of independent anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. The institutions established after the Revolution of Dignity operate under new standards that differ significantly from those in place in 2011, when Yuliia Tymoshenko was prosecuted in the “gas agreements with Russia” case. 

The suspect’s rhetoric shows signs of contempt for the court and may also be seen as part of a broader strategy to undermine public trust in an independent judicial and law enforcement system. That objective appears to be pursued systematically by the Vlasenko–Buzhansky Temporary Investigative Commission (TIC), whose activities civil society organizations and the media have urged to be terminated, as it discredits parliamentary oversight.

Yuliia Tymoshenko is suspected of offering a bribe to a number of MPs. The NABU attributes her actions under Article 369(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On January 16, an HACC investigating judge imposed an interim measure in the form of UAH 33 million in bail and a number of additional obligations.