Posted on 05/18/2005 3:06:16 PM PDT by lizol
Yukos verdict drags into Thursday
The trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once the richest man in Russia and the former boss of oil company Yukos, has been adjourned until Thursday. Earlier, Russian judges read aloud their lengthy ruling in the trial for tax evasion and fraud.
A final verdict on the seven counts may come on Thursday but observers say the hearing is likely to drag on for days.
Emotions have been running high as one defence lawyer called the trial an "act of reprisal".
There have been daily protests outside the court.
Stacked odds
Mr Khodorkovsky is widely predicted to be found guilty and faces up to 10 years in jail.
"I cannot agree with the arguments of the defence," Judge Irina Kolesnikova said as she read the summation of witness testimony on one of the charges.
Another judge added that Mr Khodorkovsky had taken part in a "pre-planned deception" when he acquired shares in a research institute by promising investment that never materialised.
Mr Khodorkovsky has always proclaimed his innocence and has refused to ask the court for leniency.
"We are seeing here an incredible distortion of defence evidence," said Yuri Shmidt, a lawyer for Mr Khodorkovsky. "It has exceeded our worst expectations."
"This is not a sentence. It is an act of reprisal."
'Days and days'
Mr Khodorkovsky has been in prison since October 2003 and is being charged along with business associate Platon Lebedev.
He has branded the charges trumped up and said they were used to "plunder" Yukos.
His lawyers have argued that political pressures played a big part in Mr Khodorkovsky's arrest and trial.
Many analysts agree, saying that the trial is politically motivated and that Mr Khodorkovsky is being punished for his funding of opposition political parties.
Yukos, the company that Mr Khodorkovsky founded, has come under attack while Mr Khodorkovsky has been sitting in jail and was broken up after it could not pay $27.5bn (£15bn) in back taxes.
Observers have said that the company may struggle to survive, despite the assurances of Yukos lawyers that they will fight to regain control of the company.
Mr Khodorkovsky's team, who have vowed to appeal if their client is found guilty, are also settling in for a long fight.
"My feeling is that (the verdict) will take days and days," said defence lawyer Robert Amsterdam.
Guilty or not, Putin's got his axe out for Khodorkovsky and he's toast.
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