Court Postpones Tymoshenko Hearing In New Case

A Yulia Tymoshenko supporter demonstrates in Kharkiv on May 19.

A court in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has postponed the first hearing in the new criminal case against jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The May 21 hearing resulted in a delay until June 25.

In the new case, Tymoshenko is accused of evading millions of U.S. dollars in taxes in connection with a private energy company she headed in the 1990s.

Tymoshenko, who is currently being treated at a hospital to recover from a recent hunger strike and a back condition, is already serving a seven-year sentence in Kharkiv on charges of abuse of power committed over an energy deal with Russia when she was prime minister several years ago.

Tymoshenko's prosecution has strained ties between Ukraine and Western governments, who say the cases appear politically motivated.

Based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax