Lawyer Says Tymoshenko E-Mails Faked

Yulia Tymoshenko (file photo)

A lawyer for Ukraine's jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says what appear to be e-mails between his client and her political allies are fakes.

E-mails said to be between Tymoshenko and members of her Batkivschyna party are circulating on the Internet.

They include discussions regarding payments to Western companies lobbying for Tymoshenko's interests in Europe and the United States.

Tymoshenko's lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko, said the fake e-mails are meant to distract public attention from Tymoshenko's protests against her imprisonment.

Last week she began a "civil disobedience" protest, sleeping only in the hallway of a clinic where she is being treated for back problems.

Tymoshenko is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted in October 2011 for abuse of office during her term as prime minister.

Based on reporting by UNIAN and Interfax