Ukraine court rejects ex-PM Tymoshenko's appeal against conviction for 'abuse of power'

Kiev, Aug 29 (Xinhua-ANI): Ukraine's top court has rejected the appeal by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, thus upholding her abuse of power conviction and a seven-year sentence.

"The judges came to the conclusion that the appeal is not subject to approval," Judge Alexander Elfimov told a court hearing.

Tymoshenko, 51, was convicted in October 2011 of abuse of power in a 2009 gas deal with Russia.

In April this year she was accused of embezzling an estimated 405 million U.S. dollars and evading tax worth more than 87,000 dollars in the 1990s.

Tymoshenko, a political rival to President Viktor Yanukovych, has denied all the charges, calling the allegations politically motivated. (Xinhua-ANI)