Sawt Falasteen - Former Ukraine PM Tymoshenko released on bail in graft probe

The 65-year-old stalwart of Ukrainian politics, who has denied the charges and said the case is politically motivated, served as prime minister twice after 2005.

After losing the 2010 presidential election to pro-Russian figure Viktor Yanukovych, she was jailed for abuse of office -- a case her backers, rights groups and Western governments said was political retribution.

The anti-corruption court on Friday set bail at around $762,000, an AFP journalist reported from the session, barred Tymoshenko from leaving the capital without permission and ordered her to hand over her passport.

Prosecutors claimed Tymoshenko divulged details of a cash-for-votes scheme to another member of parliament and that payments were $10,000 a month.

Tymoshenko appeared in court in her trademark crown braid and described the allegations as a "provocation".

NABU "was carrying out a political order specifically to discredit me," she said.

In court, Tymoshenko said she was unable to post bail herself because her bank accounts had been frozen. Local media reported she was given five days to pay.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, political campaigning has been largely on hold as Ukraine banned elections under martial law and the country rallied behind the war effort.

But a string of sweeping corruption scandals has rocked the war-torn country in the past months, forcing government ministers as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky's top aide, Andriy Yermak, out of office.

Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption and cracking down on graft is seen as a key requirement of its bid to join the European Union.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST