MOSCOW – The business partner of former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky has won a three-year reduction in his prison sentence, but a lawyer for the fallen oil boss said his bid for a similar cut was still lodged in a separate court.
Khodorkovsky (49) and his associate Platon Lebedev (55) were arrested in 2003 and are serving 13- year jail terms for fraud, tax evasion, theft and money laundering, in a case that has damaged Russia’s image abroad.
They say their arrests were part of a Kremlin campaign to tighten the state’s grip on the lucrative oil sector and punish Khodorkovsky for challenging the political domination of President Vladimir Putin.
“Lebedev’s sentence was lowered to 10 years in prison,” said Natalya Sidorak, a judge at a district court in the town of Velsk, where he is serving his term.
The same court had cut Lebedev’s sentence by three years and four months in August, citing legal changes softening punishment for financial crimes. However another court struck down the ruling and asked the Velsk court to reconsider.
Khodorkovsky’s defence lawyer Vadim Klyuvgant said his client was seeking a similar result to Lebedev.
“We are also trying to do that, although in a slightly different legal procedure,” he said.
“The Supreme Court said the matter should be considered and passed it on to the Moscow city court, which until now has not started dealing with it.” – (Reuters)