Tuesday April 21, 11:08 AM
Ex-Yukos chief Khodorkovsky pleads not guilty
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MOSCOW (AFP) - Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in his repeat trial for financial crimes, seen as a test of Kremlin (Frankfurt: 513350 - news) reform promises.
In response to four separate charges that were read out, Khodorkovsky responded each time: "I plead not guilty."
His co-defendant and former business partner, Platon Lebedev, condemned the conduct of the case.
"This is not an accusation but a schizophrenic fraud.... I have never stolen anything nor raided anything in my life, either individually or in a group. To confess to a crime that has not taken place is ridiculous," said Lebedev.
Khodorkovsky, who was once Russia's richest man and head of its largest oil company, Yukos, was already convicted and condemned to eight years in jail on fraud and tax evasion charges but is undergoing a new trial for embezzlement.
His supporters have condemned the trial as politically motivated, aimed at keeping the 45-year-old critic of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin out of the political scene indefinitely.
Current President Dmitry Medvedev has so far declined to intervene, while insisting on the independence of the courts and promising to improve legal standards in Russia.
Prosecutors accuse Khodorkovsky and Lebedev of embezzling a massive quantity of oil worth 892.4 billion rubles (around 25 billion dollars) from three Yukos subsidiaries between 1998 and 2004.
They are also accused of then laundering part of the proceeds, amounting to 487.4 billion rubles (14 billion dollars) in Russian currency and 7.5 billion dollars in hard currency.
Defence lawyers say that in a worst-case scenario Khodorkovsky could face an additional 22 years in jail.
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