KIEV, Ukraine, April 12 (UPI) -- Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Ivashchenko, who served under jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was sentenced to prison, prosecutors say.
Ivashchenko received a five-year sentence for abuse of office for involvement with Tymoshenko's illegal privatization of a shipbuilding plant in the Crimean port of Feodosiya in 2010, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday. The privatization caused roughly $8.8 million in damages to Ukraine's budget.
Tymoshenko was found guilty of abuse of power in October 2011 and sentenced to seven years and a $188 million fine.
Ivashchenko denied wrongdoing and decried the case as "fabricated" and his sentence as "unfair." RIA Novosti said he plans to appeal the conviction.
