During the court session, the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) proposed setting bail at 50 million hryvnias, arguing this was necessary due to the risks associated with softer measures. He emphasized Tymoshenko's financial capabilities and the likelihood of her leaving the country under the pretext of participating in parliamentary events.
The defense of the former prime minister, in turn, requested the court not to impose obligations on her to wear an electronic bracelet and to allow her to travel abroad in February to participate in sessions of the Verkhovna Rada, arguing that wearing the device in winter would be inconvenient.
The court also restricted Tymoshenko's movement, prohibiting her from leaving Kyiv and the Kyiv region, and required her to surrender her foreign passport. Moreover, she is prohibited from communicating with 66 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the investigation, on January 14, NABU officers conducted a search at the office of the "Batkivshchyna" party in Kyiv, where Tymoshenko was present. During the search, she allegedly held negotiations with deputies about joining her faction or informally joining a deputy group for monetary compensation.
Additionally, during the search of Tymoshenko's office, 40 thousand dollars were reportedly found.
The investigative authorities also published a recording of a conversation between Tymoshenko and one of the deputies, which they presented as evidence of an attempted bribery. According to the investigation's version, she offered 10 thousand dollars a month for support at two plenary sessions.
According to the publication "Strana.ua," one of the deputies from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party "Servant of the People" may have acted as a provocateur in the investigation. The names of parliamentarians Ihor Kopytin and Serhiy Kuzmykh were mentioned.
Also mentioned among the witnesses in the case was a deputy with the surname Mazur; however, it was noted that there is no such deputy in either the "Batkivshchyna" party or among the members of the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation.
Tymoshenko's defense stated at the hearing that the name "Mazur" might refer to Ihor Kopytin, and Tymoshenko herself confirmed the fact of meeting with the deputy, noting that the content of their conversation differs from the materials presented by NABU.
At the court session, Yulia Tymoshenko denied all accusations, calling them a "political order" and a "PR action by NABU." She claimed that the money seized during the search was family savings and that the published recordings of conversations were fabricated.
Furthermore, Tymoshenko noted that the case materials lack evidence of money being transferred to the deputy, and the found file titled "Cash" related to household expenses (tea, coffee, cookies) and was kept in hryvnias, not dollars. She also claimed that the seized funds allegedly represented compensation from the USA for persecution during the presidency of former president Viktor Yanukovych.
The former prime minister publicly rejected suggestions of a possible escape and assured that she does not plan to leave the country. During the session, Tymoshenko also harshly criticized the Ukrainian authorities, stating that there is a "fascist regime."
