Jailed oil tycoon appeals extra six years on sentence

A LAWYER for jailed Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky yesterday appealed his sentence of six more years in prison, a punishment seen as payback for challenging Vladimir Putin’s power and which was widely condemned in the West.

Khodorkovsky’s lawyer, Karinna Moskalenko, told The Associated Press she launched the appeal on the final work day before a 10-day New Year vacation. She said Khodorkovsky’s conviction on charges of stealing almost €22.36 billion worth of oil from his company and laundering the proceeds was marred by procedural violations.

“The verdict has nothing to do with justice.”

Khodorkovsky’s business partner, Platon Lebedev, received the same sentence and his lawyer also appealed the verdict.

The ruling drew strong condemnation from the US and European governments, who called it evidence of the use of Russia’s judicial system for political ends.

Moskalenko said she had expected the guilty verdict and has little hope for success of her appeal, but it’s necessary to use every opportunity in Russia before turning to the European Court of Human Rights.

Putin, now prime minister, has been seen as the driving force behind the unrelenting legal attack on Khodorkovsky, who challenged him early in his presidency. As Putin considers a return to the presidency in 2012, he appears unwilling to risk the possibility that a freed Khodorkovsky could help lead his political foes.

The judge sentenced Khodorkovsky to 14 years, and said the new term will count from their 2003 arrest and end in 2017.

The trial had been seen as a test of the rule of law in Russia, and its outcome exposed how little has changed under President Dmitry Medvedev, despite his promises to strengthen the courts’ independence and shield them from political pressure.

The defence has said the charges reflected a lack of understanding of the oil business. Numerous witnesses, including current and former government officials, testified that Khodorkovsky could not have stolen what amounted to almost all of the oil Yukos had produced.