Ukrainian Prosecutors Charge Former Minister

Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko (file photo)

Ukraine's Prosecutor-General's Office says it has charged a former interior minister and ally of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko with abuse of office and forgery.

Former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.

He is one of several senior members of Tymoshenko's former government facing criminal charges.

Prosecutor-General Viktor Pshonka, a close ally of President Viktor Yanukovych, has denied that the probe is politically motivated and said the charges were supported by documents.

Last week, state prosecutors questioned Tymoshenko, who served as prime minister in 2005 and again between 2007 and 2010.

She said she and her allies were victims of a political "witch-hunt."

Reuters