Russian oil tycoon's parole bid rejected

By CATRINA STEWART, Associated Press Writer

CHITA, Russia - A Russian court on Friday rejected jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's request for early release from an eight-year sentence for tax evasion and fraud. Khodorkovsky's lawyer called the decision politically motivated and said he would appeal.

Judge Igor Falileyev said Khodorkovsky was ineligible for parole because he had refused to undertake professional training at his prison, which specializes in sewing, and because of an incident in which he flouted prison rules.

Khodorkovsky appeared calm as the decision was announced at a court in the Siberian city of Chita, reacting only with a small shake of his head.

"The judicial system won't be reformed any time soon," he said, as he was hustled out of the court by guards.

Khodorkovsky — who headed the Yukos oil company and was once Russia's richest man — has spent almost five years in jail. He was sentenced in 2005 to an eight-year term and has been eligible for parole for the past 10 months.

His parole hearing had been seen as a test of new President Dmitry Medvedev's commitment to reforming Russia's judiciary.

The prosecution of the oligarch was widely viewed as an attempt to silence a Kremlin opponent and consolidate control over Russia's strategic energy sector. The charges and subsequent demand for huge back taxes led to the effective renationalization of Yukos, which was taken over by the state oil company Rosneft.

Khodorkovsky's lawyer, Vadim Klyuvgant, said the decision was handed down "by a court that is not free and is heavily influenced by those who are simply scared of freeing Mikhail Khodorkovsky." He said Khodorkovsky would be eligible to file another parole request in six months.

Khodorkovsky also faces new charges of embezzlement and money laundering, brought in June against both the former billionaire and his business associate Platon Lebedev.

Khodorkovsky said Thursday that, if released, he would not return to the oil industry but would devote himself to his family and humanitarian work.

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Associated Press Writer Maria Danilova contributed to this report from Moscow.
Source:news.yahoo.com