Posted on 05/17/2005 9:50:58 AM PDT by Lukasz
Moscow, 17 May 2005 (RFE/RL) -- A Moscow court today found jailed former Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovskii guilty of most of the fraud, tax evasion, and embezzlement charges against him, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported, citing Interfax.
The court reportedly has yet to read out its decision on one last charge before it can pronounce a final verdict against Khodorkovskii and his co-defendant, former top Yukos executive Platon Lebedev. It must also read summations of witness testimony.
Russian authorities accuse Khodorkovskii and Lebedev of massive tax evasion, illegal privatization, and embezzlement.
The prosecution has requested that the oil tycoon get the maximum 10-year prison sentence, while the defense has asked for him to be cleared of all charges and said it will appeal any conviction.
Russian tax authorities have demanded that Yukos pay $27.4 billion for what they claim were back taxes. Prior to his arrest in October 2003, Khodorkovskii was Russia's richest man, with a fortune estimated at $15 billion.
The trial, however, is widely perceived as a Kremlin-led campaign to crush Khodorkovskii’s political ambitions and punish him for supporting opposition parties.
Abroad, the verdict is likely to further shake investor confidence and tarnish Russian President Vladimir Putin’s image, both badly hurt by the 11-month trial.
Hundreds of protesters on both sides of the issue gathered outside the Moscow courthouse yesterday and today. Anti-Khodorkovskii demonstrators today held banners reading "Putin, protect us from Khodorkovskii."
He must be in the 182% tax bracket.
A newspaper banner [tomorrow, probably] will proudly proclaim "Just sentence on the enemies of the people".
There is no lack of criminals on either side of this thing.
Yeah, only Khodorkovskii and Lebiedev are „bad”, other oligarchs are really cool.
At one point after the fall of communism the concern was that Russia would descend into an abyss run by mafia criminals. I'm not convinced they dodged that bullet.
Putinocchio!! Great pic!
Don’t be so cruel for them, I think that there is also many smart people who will sooner or later take the power from the Putinists.
No surprise considering that Putin Kremlin pulls all the strings of power, including Judiciary.
A letter from a sometime Freeper (svni) in Moscow. Feel free to check my grammar ;-):
Privet! Ehti dva dnya proshli ne bez priklyucheniya. Vchera byl perviy den' oglasheniya prigovora Khodorkovskomu i posledniy srok podachi kassatsionnoy zhaloby. Sizhu ya v ofise i Karinny - zvonit Dima Milovidov s izvestniem, chto arestovali uchastnikov piketa. Prishlos' prinimat' aktivnoe uchastie v organizatsii yuridicheskiy pomoshchi zaderzhannym. V chisle zaderzhannykh byl beslanovets Vissarion Aseev. Do 10 vechera my zhdali ikh osvobozhdeniya. Segodnya utrom oni yavilis' (soglasno podpisannomu vchera obyazetel'stvu) v OVD dlya rassmotreniya ikh dela v Meshchanskom sude. Oni, estestvenno, byli v vostorge ot togo, chto ikh v odnom sude s MBKh sudit' budut."Greetings! These last two days did not go by without some adventures. Yesterday was the first day of Khodorkovskiy's sentencing hearings and the last day to make an appeal. I'm sitting in Karinna's office - Dima Milovidov called with the news that they are arresting protestors. It was necessary then to organize active measures in defense of those detained. Among the detainees was Beslan survivor Vissarion Aseev. We waited until 10 at night for their release. This morning they appeared (in accordance with the terms of their release) at the Meshchankiy courthouse OVD for review of the matter. They were, of course, very happy to all be judged in the same courtroom with MBKh (Mikhail Khodorskovskiy)."
No delo otmenili za otsutstviem sostava prestupleniya. Iz mentovki oni druzhno otpravilis' snova k Meshchanskomu sudu. Tam uzhas chto tvorilos' - mentov bol'she, chem lyudey, k sudu propuskayut tol'ko protivnikov Khodorkovskogo, a ostal'nykh razgonyayut. Skromnuyu kuchku storonnikov (chelovek 30) ottesnili azh za perekrestok, postoyanno ugrozhali uvesti v mentovku. Tut para tetok pensionnogo vozrasta (iz tekh, komu nadoelo boyat'sya) voshli v razh, skazali mentam pochti vse, chto oni o nikh i ehtoy vlasti tozhe dumayut, nachali skandirovat' lozungi v zashchitu, razvernuli plakaty. Koroche, OMON stroynymi ryadami nachal nastuplenie, podognali mashinu (v takhikh zehkov vozyat, s reshetkoy vnutri, bez okon - tol'ko v dveri malen'koe okoshko), zagruzili ikh v ehtu mashinu i uvezli v neizvestnom napravlenii. Vissariona v tom chisle. Ehto proiskhodilo na moikh glazakh, tol'ko ya stoyala chut' v storone, v teni zdaniya, poehtomu okazalas' u OMONa za spinoy, razgovarivala s rebyatami iz vcherashney partii "uznikov". Khorosho, chto odin iz nikh byl na mashine, a sredi "zaklyuchennykh" bylo troe iz vcherashnikh, poehtomu u nas pochti srazu ustanovilas' svaz'. My reshili, chto ikh otvezut v to zhe otdelenie, chto i vchera, poekhali tuda - ni figa.
"But the matter was dismissed due to absence of a crime. From the police station they harmoniously once again went to the Meshchanskiy court. Once there, oh horrors, more police than people, only the enemies of Khodorskovskiy were permitted in, while all the rest were chased away. This modest group of supporters (30 persons) were pushed past the crosswalk and constantly threatened with being taken off the police station. Here a pair of women of retirement age (from those who were tired of being afraid) got into a rage. They told the cops almost everything they thought about this regime and began to shout slogans in (Khodorskovskiy's) defense and unfurl posters. Shortly afterward, the OMON (special police) formed ranks and attacked, brought up a truck (the kind that they carry convicts in, with cage-work inside, windowless except for some tiny ones in the doors), they loaded up the protestors and took them off in an unknown direction. Vissarion was among them. This happened in front of my own eyes, only I stood a bit to the side, in the shadow of a building, and so I was behind the OMON. I was talking with some of the fellows from yesterday's group of 'prisoners'. It was good that one of them was in the truck, among the 'prisoners' were three from yesterday, so almost immediatley we were able to establish communication (through cellular phones). We decided that they'd be taken to the same station as yesterday, so we went there - but no luck."
Cherez kakoe-to vremya odnomu zaklyuchennomu udalos' razglyadet' mesto, kuda ikh privezli (ikh bol'she chasa ne vypuskali iz mashiny), priekhali tuda, vstali ryadom i zhdali, poka ikh vygruzyat. Odnoy zhenshchine stalo plokho - u nee povyshennoe davlenie. Kupili lekarstvo, poshla ya prosit' peredat' lekarstvo i vodu. Odin omonovets govorit drugomu - mozhet i ee tuda? Ya emu govoryu - mozhno i menya tuda, tol'ko u vas srazu poyavyatsya problemy, pridetsya konsula vyzyvat' i advokata. Koroche, vodu vzyali, a menya ostavili. Potom ya uekhala, posmeyavshis' nad Vissarionom, kotoriy Moskvu reshil izuchat' po otdeleniyam militsii, potomu chto v ehtot raz ego otvezli v Alekseevskoe otdelenie militsii ;-)
"After awhile, one of the prisoners was able to look and figure out the place where they'd been taken (for over an hour they weren't released from the truck), so we went there, stood alongside and waited for them to be unloaded. One woman took ill - she had high blood pressure. We bought some medicine, and I went over and asked that the medicine and water be given to her. One of the OMON men said to the other - should we put her in there? I told him - you can put me in there, only you'll have to immediately call the consulate and a lawyer. In short, they took the water and left me alone. Later, I left, laughing about Vissarion, who had decided to learn all about Moscow's police stations, because this time they took him to the Alekseevsk station ;-)"
Vecherom mne perezvonil Dima, otchitalsya - vypustili posednykh okolo devyati vechera, dazhe podpiski o yavke v sud ne brali. Romantichnoe priklyuchenie odnako ;-) Ostaetsya odno vyyasnit' - zavtra ehta gruppa tovarishchey snova poydet popadat'sya OMONu ili peredyshka budet? ;-) A v ostal'nom vse khorosho, pogoda teplaya stoit' Voskresen'e otdykhala, a na nedele zanimayus' delami, gotovlyus' k ot"ezdu. Nailuchshie pozhelaniya, Svetlana.
"Dima called me in the evening and reported that the last of them were released around nine at night, without even having to sign a promise to appear in court. It was a romantic adventure, however. ;-) Only one thing remains to be explained - tomorrow, will this group of comrades once again go fall upon the OMON, or will there be a break? ;-) In all other respects things are well, the weather got warm. On Sunday I rested, but during the week I was busy, I'm getting ready to leave. Best wishes, Svetlana."
Is this Kafka country?
That's on the company not on his personal value. And it's over a 13 year period.
Yeah, that's why his second and Chief of Security got life in jail for a dozen murders: former top guys in Yukos, business competitors, personal matters, etc.
The Khodorkovsky defenders are out in force. Hope they show as much support for Enron and Tyco.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.