Yukos founder Khodorkovsky faces more than 20 years in gaol - lawyer

MOSCOW (AFX) - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the founder of Russian oil giant Yukos, could be spend more than 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of massive tax fraud and embezzlement, his lawyer Yuri Shmidt said.

'My client has been indicted on seven counts and according to the new Russian penal code, the sentences could add up to 25 years in prison,' Shmidt told reporters.
Specifically, Khodorkovsky could be gaoled for up to 10 years for embezzlement, up to seven years for taxes allegedly owed by Yukos, and up to five years for his own allegedly unpaid taxes.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor's office announced it had finished calling witnesses in the trial of Khodorkovsky, who was arrested on Oct 25, 2003.
The defence is now set to lay out its case, and says a verdict is expected sometime in January.

Many here say the charges against Yukos and its founder and former chairman are the result of a politically-driven campaign aimed at punishing Khodorkovsky's political ambitions.

Senior government officials, including President Vladimir Putin have repeatedly denied such claims, saying prosecutors were simply investigating a tax cheat.

(From Yahoo! Finance, 04.11.2004)