Ukraine has issued a warrant for the detention of its former economy minister Bohdan Danylyshyn for abuse of office, the prosecutor general's office said today.
Mr Danylyshyn is the highest-ranking official within the previous Yulia Tymoshenko-led government to face criminal charges since her long-time opponent Viktor Yanukovich beat her in a tight presidential race in January.
Two other senior officials under Ms Tymoshenko, the former head of customs and the former acting chief executive of state energy firm Naftogaz, were detained earlier this year in what Ms Tymoshenko has described as "political repressions".
Yuri Boichenko, a spokesman for the prosecutor general's office, said Mr Danylyshyn, who is believed to be abroad, faced abuse of office charges but did not provide any details.
Neither Mr Danylyshyn nor Ms Tymoshenko could be reached for comment. Ms Tymoshenko is the target of a 2004 bribery criminal case re-opened in May by the prosecutor's office.