June 7, 2005

The Prosecutor General's Office Refuses to be Content With Khodorkovsky - Moscow Will Try to Extradite Executives Who Have Fled Abroad

The verdict against Mikhail Khodorkovsky had barely been read when Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov promised to continue prosecuting oligarchs who don't have a “clean slate.” Other Yukos executives seem to be at the top of the list. "We have some other cases we are working on… The case against Khodorkovsky and Lebedev was not the last one," Kolesnikov said. “After Khodorkovsky was arrested, his business partners Mikhail Brudno, Vladimir Dubov, and Leonid Nevzlin emigrated to Israel. The Prosecutor General's Office put their names on the international wanted list and issued arrest warrants in January 2003. A source at the prosecutor's office says that Kolesnikov made the statement merely to remind Nevzlin and other former Yukos executives that they aren't off the hook yet, and Moscow will insist on their extradition.” Some experts believe that Kolesnikov was addressing former owners of Yukos only, and that the Prosecutor General's Office has no reason to try to instill fear in other oligarchs. "Oligarchs no longer pose any serious political threat to the Kremlin," said Alexei Makarkin from the Political Techniques Center. "Besides, voters may cheer to see another business tycoon behind bars, but the economy would certainly be harmed, and the authorities don't need that."

(Source: Vedomosti.)