Ukraine’s high court Tuesday postponed the appeal of ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her seven year jail sentence until well after the Euro football gets underway, to the fury of her defence. The Kiev court, Ukraine’s highest judicial instance, delayed the hearing to June 26 following a motion brought by prosecutors but vehemently contested by the defence who angrily accused the authorities of dragging out the process. The long delay marks a new complication in the legal controversy surrounding Tymoshenko’s conviction, which is threatening to overshadow its hosting of the Euro 2012 football that kicks off next month. There has also been mounting international concern over the health of the 51-year-old, who suffers debilitating back pain and went on hunger strike for 20 days after accusing prison guards of beating her. “We have decided to satisfy the motion of the defence and delay the hearing to June 26,” judge Stanislav Mishchenko told the court, to shouts of “shame” from the defence. The prosecutors had argued that the hearing could not go ahead in the absence of Tymoshenko, who is currently hospitalised and unable to attend court. “They have already started working along the prosecution’s scenario, which is to delay the process,” said Olexander Turchynov, the first deputy of Tymoshenko’s party.
