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| Khodorkovsky lawyer blames Putin for client sentence Posted: 30 Dec 2010 06:43 AM PST MOSCOW (Reuters) - The lawyer of jailed ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky blamed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday for his client's sentence of six more years in prison in a court case seen by some Western nations as a test of the rule of law in Russia. "The sentence was clearly issued under pressure from the executive authorities, headed as before by Mr Putin," said defence lawyer Yuri Shmidt. "Putin signalled to the court who today is the boss and who today decides Khodorkovsky's fate and life," he said.
(Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Thomas Grove) Copyright © 2010 Reuters | ||
| FACTBOX - Who is jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkvsky? Posted: 30 Dec 2010 06:43 AM PST REUTERS - A Russian judge sentenced jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky to six more years in prison on Thursday after convicting him on multi-billion dollar theft and money-laundering charges. Following are details on Khodorkovsky:
WHAT IS KHODORKOVSKY'S BACKGROUND? Khodorkovsky, born on June 26, 1963, studied at Moscow's prestigious Mendeleyev Chemistry Institute. While a student he started to trade goods in the last years of the Soviet Union. Khodorkovsky became one of Russia's most powerful businessmen by buying state assets cheaply and trading commodities after the Soviet Union fell in 1991. His empire, which at its height produced more oil than OPEC member Qatar, was based around oil giant Yukos and MENATEP, one of the first private banks in post-Soviet Russia. He was briefly Russia's richest man. Vilified by minority shareholders as one of the country's most opaque businesses during Russia's 1998 financial meltdown, Yukos went on to become Russia's biggest oil producer and the country's biggest private company with a market value of more than $40 billion at its peak. WHY WAS HE ARRESTED? Khodorkovsky was arrested on Oct. 25, 2003, raising fears that the Kremlin would try to regain control of raw materials companies sold off in the 1990s. Russia's stock market tumbled as investors dumped shares in Yukos, whose shareholders included major U.S. and European pension funds. Kremlin critics say his arrest marked a turning point in Vladimir Putin's presidency by giving hardliners the upper hand. Putin supporters also say it was a watershed because Putin finally underlined the Kremlin's authority over business groups. Khodorkovsky says he is a victim of corrupt officials under Putin who feared his political ambitions and wanted to carve up his business empire. The government says he was prosecuted according to the law for his misdeeds and sentenced fairly. Supporters say he is Russia's most famous political prisoner, arrested to send a signal to other businessmen over dissent. Khodorkovsky had begun funding political parties other than the main pro-Kremlin party, and he angered the Kremlin by suggesting some oil deals involving the state were corrupt. Opponents say he simply lost a battle for influence because he did not see how the political climate had changed. Critics also say his tactics were among the most aggressive of the oligarchs -- businessmen with immense wealth and influence -- and that Western media have ignored his past. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS ASSETS? After Khodorkovsky's arrest, tax police filed huge back-tax claims against Yukos. The Moscow-based firm, unable to pay, eventually filed for bankruptcy and its production assets, which included some of the best oil fields in Russia, were sold off at state-run auctions. Russian state-controlled oil firm Rosneft Yukos's other two main production assets, Tomskneft and Samaraneftegaz, were purchased by Rosneft in 2007 at state-run auctions. In 2007, Rosneft sold half of Tomskneft to Gazprom Neft (Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Ralph Boulton) Copyright © 2010 Reuters |
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