Ukrainian official denies graft

A deputy prime minister in Ukraine, Julia Tymoshenko, has confirmed that her husband, Oleksandr, has been arrested and charged with fraud.

Mrs Tymoshenko said it was an attempt by her political enemies to try to force her to resign, to stop her reforms of the energy sector.

She denied any wrongdoing.

Oleksandr Tymoshenko and a colleague in the company they head, United Energy Systems, are being accused of misappropriating hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars in state funds during international trading deals.

The Ukrainian government is trying to resolve a crisis over unpaid energy bills.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service