Standards & Guidance
New allegations against Yukos founder
The Russian government has filed fresh charges against
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of defunct
Russian oil giant
Yukos. Khodorkovsky has
been convicted of fraud and is currently serving a nine year sentence in a
Siberian prison camp.
His lawyers said the new charges had been brought
entirely for political reasons, and noted that they were filed just before
Khodorkovsky became eligible for parole.
The Kremlin, it was argued, intends to keep Khodorkovsky
incarcerated through the 2008 presidential election year and until the
“expropriation of its [Yukos’] remaining assets” is complete. Also charged with
new offences was Platon Lebedev, Khodorkovsky’s imprisoned business partner.
Sean McCormack,
US
State Department spokesman, said the continued prosecution of Khodorkovsky
and the break-up of Yukos have provoked serious concerns about the rule of law
in Russia.
The conduct of the Russian authorities in this case, he
said, has damaged confidence in the country’s legal system and raised questions
about Russia’s commitment to democratic responsibilities.
Links
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Yukos
US State Department
March 2007 |
