Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested today after a judge ruled she had "systematically" violated court rules and hampered the questioning of witnesses during her trial for abuse of power.
Central Kiev District Court Judge Rodion Kireyev ordered Ms Tymoshenko's arrest after a motion from the prosecution, said Natalya Lysova, a spokeswoman for the former prime minister.
Mr Kireyev said he issued the order because Ms Tymoshenko is seeking to avoid trial by obstructing the proceedings, which began in June, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Prosecutors opened a criminal case against Ms Tymoshenko in April, alleging that her government agreed to pay too much to buy Russian natural gas in 2009, resulting in 1.5 billion hryvnia (€132 million) of damage to Ukraine.
Ms Tymoshenko has accused President Viktor Yanukovych of engineering the case to silence opposition before next year's parliamentary elections.
Ms Tymoshenko has been at odds with Mr Yanukovych since 2004, when she helped lead the Orange Revolution that overturned his victory in presidential elections. She was ordered not to leave Ukraine in December during a separate investigation into the sale of emissions permits to Japan in 2009.
Police took Ms Tymoshenko out of the court room following the judge's order.
Bloomberg