KIEV, November 15 - RAPSI. The Ukrainian parliament refused on Tuesday to include an amendment decriminalizing the offense for which ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison in a presidential bill mitigating punishment for economic crimes, RIA Novosti reports.

The amendment received only 147 votes in the second reading, while 226 were needed for its adoption.

The amendment to Criminal Code Article 365, under which Tymoshenko was convicted, was supposed to make punishable only abuse of power for an official's personal gain, or for the sake of his immediate entourage.

The parliament is continuing to consider the bill.