Trial Begins for Former Yukos Chief and Partner
Two billionaires went on trial in Moscow in a politically charged fraud and tax evasion case. Former Yukos Oil Co. Chief Executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia’s richest man, sat inside a metal cage alongside partner Platon Lebedev. Both deny the charges.
The judge agreed to hear only procedural issues until Khodorkovsky’s main lawyer recovers from eye surgery. The next hearing is set for Wednesday.
Authorities targeted Khodorkovsky as he was raising his political profile in opposition to President Vladimir V. Putin, so some suggest political motivations behind the charges.
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