Khodorkovsky trial draws to close

by Andy on April 11, 2005

The trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky closed today as Judge Irina Kolesnikova announced that she would reveal her verdict on Wednesday 27 April.

The former Yukos boss, charged with tax evasion and fraud, made one final statement to the court and, predictably, it was fiery and unrepentant.  A few of his choice quotes from RFE/RL’s coverage:

"There is not a single document — I stress, not a single one — or a word of a witness, that proves any illegal activities on my part."

"The whole country knows who set up the scandalous Yukos case and why. It was launched by certain influential people with the purpose of taking over Russia’s most successful oil company and its profits. The whole country knows that they jailed me so I couldn’t stop them from looting the company."

"I have done as much as I could to help restore Russia’s industry and build civil society.  I have made some mistakes here and there, but I sincerely tried to work for my country, for its benefit — not for my pocket. Everybody knows that I am innocent of the crimes that I am accused of. Therefore, I do not intend to plead for mercy."

(UPDATE 12/04: Mosnews have just published the full text of Khodorkovsky’s statement).

I haven’t been following the court case all that closely, but I think it’s pretty fair to say that he is going to be convicted.  There is still some question as to whether he will be convicted of every single charge against him, but the verdict on the most important charge - tax evasion to the tune of $3 billion - seems pretty certain to be against him.

Probably the most important news to watch out for though will not be the verdict itself, but the length of the sentence handed down.  If President Putin has any say in the matter - and he does - Khodorkovsky will remain in jail until after the next Presidential election in 2008 at least.  If there is one man in Russia with big enough name recognition for an opposition movement to coalesce around, it is Khodorkovsky.  By putting Khodorkovsky in jail he reduces (although he doesn’t entirely eliminate) the possibility of Khodorkovsky providing a genuine alternative to Putin or his chosen successor in 2008.   

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