Former Ukrainian premier Yulia Tymoshenko, who is accused of the misuse of state funds, was handed official notification of a criminal case against her on Wednesday at the Prosecutor General's office.
Current opposition leader Tymoshenko will now have to appear in the Prosecutor General's office on May 17 to be questioned. The juridical body is also expected to decide on the pre-trial restrictions to be imposed on Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko's spokesperson Marina Sorokina earlier said "these political repressions are an intentional move on the part of the authorities to hamper the activities of the opposition."
Tymoshenko, the leader of the eponymous political bloc, had led the Cabinet from 2007 until early March 2010, when she was dismissed as prime minister after losing presidential elections to Viktor Yanukovych. Tymoshenko then moved to the opposition and formed a shadow government.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has accused Tymoshenko of costing the state 100 billion hryvnas ($12.5 billion) during her term in office, and said that 2008-2009 budget documents should be examined by law enforcement agencies and independent auditors.
On May 5, the Ukrainian Cabinet decided to hire Washington-based Trout Cacheris, PLLC to conduct an audit of the state budget during Tymoshenko's service as prime minister.
KIEV, May 12 (RIA Novosti)
