Russian Court Adjourns Khodorkovsky Case After Hearing 80 Witnesses

The prosecution in Russia’s trial of former Yukos leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky adjourned proceedings on Tuesday until Nov. 9, Reuters reported citing court sources.

The case was rested after the Meshchansky Court in Moscow heard about 80 witnesses.

On Monday, the court prolonged Khodorkovsky’s custody term for another three months, until Feb. 14, granting a request by the state prosecutor, Dmitry Shokhin.

Khodorkovsky was arrested on Oct. 25, 2003. He was charged with tax fraud and evasion. Several bail requests were denied. His arrest has attracted attention from various public figures and human right groups, both in Russia and the West, who criticized the case against him as being politically motivated.

The authorities on Monday hit Yukos with up to $10 billion in additional taxes, pushing the debts of Russia’s embattled No. 1 oil producer above $17 billion.

The news sent Yukos’ dollar-denominated shares down 17.0 percent to $3.32 on the RTS stock exchange and its rouble shares down 9.49 percent to 95.94 roubles ($3.34) on MICEX on Tuesday, the agency reported.

(From Moscow News, 2.11.2004)