Tymoshenko challenges murder case

KIEV, Ukraine, June 19 (UPI) -- The lawyer for jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko said Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych may be sued for accusing her of a 1996 killing.

Tymoshenko is accused of having a role in the alleged 1996 contract killing of Ukrainian lawyer Yevhen Scherban along with his wife. Tymoshenko and former Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko are suspected of paying for the killing along.

Tymoshenko's lawyer, Serhiy Vlasenko, said the Scherban allegations are "absurd" and there may be a suit filed against the Ukrainian president in retaliation, reports Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted on charges she abused her authority in a 2009 natural gas deal with Russian energy company Gazprom. She also stands accused of reselling Russian natural gas illicitly while serving as head of Ukraine's United Energy System prior to her tenure as prime minister.

The case has plagued Ukraine's relationship with the European Union. EU officials said the charges against Tymoshenko appear to be politically motivated and out of step with international expectations.