16 June 2004 01:37
Hearings begin in Khodorkovsky-Lebedev case
MOSCOW. June 16 (Interfax) - Moscow's Meshchansky District Court on Wednesday morning began hearings on a
combined criminal case against former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former chief of the AOZT Volna company Andrei
Krainov, and MFO Menatep head Platon Lebedev.
The charges brought by the Prosecutor General's Office against Khodorkovsky and Lebedev include large-scale
fraud committed by an organized group, failure to obey a court ruling, the infliction of property damage,
misappropriation of property entrusted to them, forgery, and tax evasion as individuals and heads of companies.
The Prosecutor General's Office claimed that the damage caused by Khodorkovsky and Lebedev, particularly, to the
state, amounts to over $1 billion.
Meanwhile, the defense team for Khodorkovsky and Lebedev has repeatedly claimed that the case is politically
motivated. None of the defendants have pled guilty on any counts.
Khodorkovsky has been held at Moscow's Matrosskaya Tishina remand center for nearly 8 months. Lebedev was
arrested earlier and placed in the remand center.
Krainov, who has been indicted for large-scale fraud committed by an organized group, failure to obey a court ruling,
and infliction of property damage on its owners, has signed a pledge not to leave town.
Despite the fact that the Meshchansky Court has provided a larger room for the hearings than that in which the
preliminary hearings on the Khodorkovsky case were held, only 8 journalists were admitted to attend.
The trial has drawn increased attention from members of the press. Several journalists attempted to rush into the
courtroom, which led to a stampede in the corridor, and a Justice Ministry special task force was hardly able to contain
the journalists attempting to break through.
About 20 supporters of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev gathered near the court. They are wearing T-shirts with the words
"Free Khodorkovsky" and holding posters with Khodorkovsky's portraits and signs reading "We demand a
truly open and fair trial," "Seeing injustice and remaining silent means being involved in it," and other
signs.
Khodorkovsky's mother and father, Lebedev's brother, and former chief of Yukos-Moscow Vasily Shakhnovsky
are present in the courtroom.
Among the foreign lawyers attending the hearings is Khodorkovsky's prominent American lawyer Robert
Amsterdam.
Before the trial began, Khodorkovsky's lawyer Yury Shmidt said the defense planned to file a number of
petitions, but it did not intend to ask that the former Yukos head be freed from jail under a written pledge not to
leave. [RU EUROPE ASIA EEU EMRG CRIM LAW PRO] va tj
[Interfax] |
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