LONDON (AFX) - A judge at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London has ruled that two former executives of Yukos should not be extradited to Russia, as the prosecutions were politically motivated, and that their human rights were highly likely to be breached if they were returned.
Natalia Chernysheva used to be a senior executive at one of Yukos' largest shareholders, as well as at Yukos itself. She was a close associate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is currently on trial in Moscow.
Dmitry Maruev was formerly Yukos' Deputy Chief Accountant and a close associate of Platon Lebedev, who is also on trial in Moscow with Khodorkovsky.
Chernysheva and Maruev face a charge in Russia of fraud, relating to transactions with the Volgograd local authority in 1997.
Chernysheva faces a further charge relating to a transaction involving a company named Apatit, in 1994.
Khodorkovsky faces the same charge in the trial currently going on in Moscow.
Judge Workman said: "I have reached the inevitable conclusion that President Putin directed that Miss Chernysheva and Mr Khodorkovsky should be prosecuted."
He also found that the allegation of a 20 mln usd fraud involving Volgograd had been fully investigated in 1998, with a conclusion that no criminal offenses had been committed.
He added that he was satisfied that "that it is more likely than not that the prosecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky is politically motivated." Therefore, "it is the inevitable conclusion that the prosecution of these two defendants is also politically motivated."
On the key issue of judicial independence, Judge Workman was satisfied that the case was, "so politically motivated that there is a substantial risk that the judges of the Moscow City Court would succumb to political interference in a way which would call into question their independence."
Both Chernysheva and Maruev have made a claim for political asylum in the UK.
jsa/cml
For more information and to contact AFX: www.afxnews.com and www.afxpress.com
Natalia Chernysheva used to be a senior executive at one of Yukos' largest shareholders, as well as at Yukos itself. She was a close associate of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is currently on trial in Moscow.
Dmitry Maruev was formerly Yukos' Deputy Chief Accountant and a close associate of Platon Lebedev, who is also on trial in Moscow with Khodorkovsky.
Chernysheva and Maruev face a charge in Russia of fraud, relating to transactions with the Volgograd local authority in 1997.
Chernysheva faces a further charge relating to a transaction involving a company named Apatit, in 1994.
Khodorkovsky faces the same charge in the trial currently going on in Moscow.
Judge Workman said: "I have reached the inevitable conclusion that President Putin directed that Miss Chernysheva and Mr Khodorkovsky should be prosecuted."
He also found that the allegation of a 20 mln usd fraud involving Volgograd had been fully investigated in 1998, with a conclusion that no criminal offenses had been committed.
He added that he was satisfied that "that it is more likely than not that the prosecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky is politically motivated." Therefore, "it is the inevitable conclusion that the prosecution of these two defendants is also politically motivated."
On the key issue of judicial independence, Judge Workman was satisfied that the case was, "so politically motivated that there is a substantial risk that the judges of the Moscow City Court would succumb to political interference in a way which would call into question their independence."
Both Chernysheva and Maruev have made a claim for political asylum in the UK.
jsa/cml
For more information and to contact AFX: www.afxnews.com and www.afxpress.com
© 2005 AFX News
