Judge mulls Khodorkovsky verdict

The judge in the trial of former Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky has retired to consider her verdict, saying she will give her decision on 27 April.

Mr Khodorkovsky is accused of multiple charges of fraud and tax evasion, and if found guilty could be jailed for up to 10 years.

He has always protested his innocence, and many commentators argue that his trial is politically motivated.

Analysts say he is being punished by the Kremlin for his political ambition.

Before his arrest and imprisonment in 2003, Mr Khodorkovsky had started to fund opposition political parties.

'Self-serving'

Russian authorities have all but brought former oil giant Yukos to its knees during Mr Khodorkovsky's time behind bars.

Moscow demanded $27.5bn (£15bn) in back-taxes and in December 2004 forced the sell off of its former major oil producing unit Yuganskneftegas (Yugansk) to help pay the bill.

"All this is being done for self-serving reasons," said Mr Khodorkovsky in his closing statement to the court.

"They [Russian authorities] have put me in jail so I can't stop them looting Yukos."

Co-accused

The charges against Mr Khodorkovsky relate to the privatisation of Apatit, a fertiliser firm, in the 1990s.

He is standing trial alongside former colleague Platon Lebedev, who also protests his innocence. The trial has taken 10 months.

Russian state oil firm Rosneft was the eventual purchaser of Yugansk, which it bought for $9.4bn.

"They [Russian authorities] have put me in jail so I can't stop them looting Yukos"
Mikhail Khodorkovsky

From BBC, 4.11.2004