Russia's richest man goes on trial for fraud

Russia’s richest man, billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and another major shareholder in his Yukos oil conglomerate, went on trial in Moscow today in a case that will delve into the murky privatisation process that accompanied the dismantling of the Soviet Union

Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev face charges of fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion in connection with the 1994 privatisation of a big, state-owned fertiliser plant. Both could face about 10 years in prison if convicted.