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Khodorkovsky Found Guilty of Embezzlement in Russian Court

   VOA News 27 December 2010
   Former  Yukos  CEO  Mikhail  Khodorkovsky,  left, and his co-defendant
   Platon Lebedev, right, stand behind a glass wall at a court in Moscow,
   Russia, (File)

Photo: AP

   Former  Yukos  CEO  Mikhail  Khodorkovsky,  left, and his co-defendant
   Platon Lebedev, right, stand behind a glass wall at a court in Moscow,
   Russia, (File)

   Russian   news   reports   say  a  court  ruled  Monday  that  Mikhail
   Khodorkovsky  and  his  business  partner  are  guilty  of  embezzling
   property.
   The  verdict means the two have been found guilty of stealing oil from
   Khodorkovsky's now-defunct company Yukos.
   The judge has yet to announce a sentence.
   Former  chief executive of Yukos, Khodorkovsky - once Russia's richest
   man  -  and his partner, Platon Lebedev, are accused of embezzling 350
   million tons of oil and laundering about $25 billion in proceeds.
   Both defendants deny the charges, saying they were framed for opposing
   Kremlin policies.
   Khodorkovsky  is  currently  nearing the end of an 8-year sentence for
   fraud and tax evasion.

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