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Khodorkovsky transferred to Moscow to face new charges

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Former Russian oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky was transferred to Moscow on Tuesday to face new charges of embezzlement and theft, according to court officials. Platon Lebedev, Khodorkovsky's former partner at OAO Yukos Oil Co., was also transferred to Moscow from the Siberian region of Chita, where both men have been serving prison sentences following their convictions for fraud and tax evasion in 2005. Critics have said that these charges are politically motivated due to Khodorkovsky's opposition of former Russian president Vladimir Putin. Their transfer was ordered last week by a judge for the District Court in Moscow and preliminary hearings are set for March 3. Khodorkovsky is currently serving an eight-year sentence, although he maintains that he is innocent. He requested early release last July, but his application was rejected in August because he disobeyed guards at the Krasnokamensk penal colony, refused to participate in a training program, and faced the possibility of additional charges. Khodorkovsky has appealed that decision.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 24, 2009 (boomark / email).