Hearing of the application to extend Lebedev’s period of detention in the Chita pre-trial detention facility will resume on 23 April.

At a hearing into the issue of extending the period of detention of Platon Lebedev, former head of MFO MENATEP, in the Chita pre-trial detention facility, the defence attorneys on Tuesday applied for withdrawal of the presiding judge, after which she announced an adjournment to Wednesday.

“Withdrawal of the judge was demanded for a variety of reasons. She had violated the procedures for conducting the case by demanding repeat warrants of attorney from us. Moreover, she had already ruled on the application to extend Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s period of detention in the facility, and in the course of doing so the names not only of Khodorkovsky but also of Lebedev had been mentioned,” Lebedev’s attorney told the Interfax-Sibir Agency.

The agency’s informant added that the judge had rejected the attorneys’ request for withdrawal of the representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, considering that they had provided insufficient evidence.

As reported, the Chita Regional Court is considering an application from the Investigative Committee of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to extend the period of detention in the Chita pre-trial detention facility of Platon Lebedev, former head of MFO MENATEP to 2 August.

(Interfax, 22 April 2008)