Kiev: Imprisoned ex Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to attend a new trial for tax evasion, citing problems with her health.
Tymoshenko, who is suffering months of back pain, asked the court to hold its preliminary hearing on Thursday in her absence.
She denies wrongdoing as head of a gas trading company in the 1990s.
The former president is serving seven years in prison for abuse of office, a conviction which caused dismay in the West.
The new trial is being held in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where she is serving her sentence.
In a statement posted on the website of the Ukrainian state penitentiary service, Tymoshenko said: “Using my rights stipulated by the Ukrainian Criminal Code, I request that the preliminary hearing of the case be conducted in my absence owing to my poor health.”
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