KHARKIV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian court on Tuesday adjourned the tax evasion and embezzlement trial of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko until September 11 after she refused to appear citing poor health.

The 51-year-old opposition leader is serving a seven-year sentence on a separate charge of abuse-of-office linked to a gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009 while she was prime minister.

Her trial in Kharkiv for tax evasion and embezzlement going back to alleged offences in the 1990s has been put off several times since she has been unable to attend because of back trouble for which she is receiving hospital treatment.

The court on Tuesday formally asked her to agree to a video link from her hospital bed to enable the trial to take place. She has refused such a suggestion in the past.