Tymoshenko rejects murder charge as ‘absurd’

Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, serving a seven-year jail sentence on abuse-of-office charges, yesterday dismissed new allegations against her of involvement in the murder of a parliament deputy almost 16 years ago.

She said they were “absurd” and clearly politically driven.

The jailing last October of Tymoshenko, the main opponent of President Viktor Yanukovich, has soured Ukraine’s ties with the EU and the US, which say the case smacks of “selective” justice.