Interpol Suspends Warrant For Ukrainian Premier

Yuliya Tymoshenko (file photo) 14 April 2005 -- Interpol's secretariat-general has suspended a warrant for Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko in recognition of the parliamentary immunity she now has.
The Russian news agency Interfax reported today that the secretariat-general in the French city of Lyon made the decision but did not say when.

Russian Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov said earlier this week that the Russian arrest warrant for Tymoshenko remained in force. Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Tymoshenko on charges of bribery dating back to the mid-1990s.

Tymoshenko became prime minister after the Orange Revolution in Ukraine drove the previous government from power in December 2004.

Timur Lakhonin, the head of Interpol's national central bureau in Russia, said the decision was normal for Interpol to suspend investigations for serving officials who have immunity in their countries.

In Ukraine, Interior Ministry spokesman Kiril Kulikov said the case has been erased from Interpol records and there are no charges now against Tymoshenko.

(Interfax/dpa)