KHARKIV, Ukraine, June 25 (UPI) -- Imprisoned former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's second trial began Monday without the defendant.
Tymoshenko, who was sentenced to seven years for exceeding her ministerial authority in a gas deal with Russia, denies tax evasion charges, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. The court ordered a medical examination Monday to determine if she is well enough to attend the trial.
The new charges involve Tymoshenko's stint as head of United Energy Systems in the 1990s. The former prime minister and her supporters say both criminal cases were cooked up for political reasons by President Viktor Yanukovych, who defeated her in 2010 for president.
Tymoshenko's lawyer, Andriy Kozhemyakin, a member of Parliament, questioned the security arrangements for the trial, ForUm reported. Tymoshenko is to be held in an armored glass cubicle in the courtroom.
