Khodorkovsky: 'I Will Prove That The Case Against Me Is Bogus'

With courtroom theatrics, former Head of YUKOS outlines the absurdity of the charges against him

MOSCOW, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday 6th April 2010, a year after his second trial began, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former YUKOS chief executive and Russia's most famous political prisoner, opened the defense case with passionate and powerful testimony to the court. Referring to the charges against him as "completely idiotic" and "downright wild," he outlined the absurdity of the charges against him.

In the trial now underway in Moscow's Khamovnichesky Court, Khodorkovsky is accused of having stolen the same oil that was sold by YUKOS, paid for by customers, transported in the government-controlled pipeline network, and heavily taxed.

Khodorkovsky questioned the "judicial schizophrenia" of the multiple charges brought against him and said they were "mutually exclusive."

Khodorkovsky sought to illustrate the prosecution's confusion between property rights in crude oil, and the crude oil itself. He reminded the court that crude oil is a black liquid which may be poured from one container to another.  He added that whereas property rights cannot be poured from one container to another, they can be transferred pursuant to a contract.  Noting that crude oil and crude oil property rights in the petroleum industry are transferred to multiple parties, Khodorkovsky intoned that only an incompetent person or someone acting in bad faith could confuse the two.

With a showman's flair he said: "That's oil," as his lawyer placed on a table a jar of black liquid. Then he said, "That's well-head liquid!," as his lawyer placed a second larger jar of muddy black-and-clear liquid on the table, containing sand, oil and water.  The courtroom was abuzz.  The judge and prosecutors exchanged glances, clearly surprised by the theatrics.  Khodorkovsky then asked his lawyer to sell him the ownership of oil, by exchanging the right of ownership for a promissory note to pay one ruble.  The jars remained on the table.  Khodorkovsky informed the court that while the ownership rights had changed hands, the crude oil remained on the table in the jar.

The judge ordered the jars to be removed from the courtroom, telling defense attorneys that he did not find anything amusing in having "flammable liquid" in a courtroom with only one exit. The audience erupted in laughter as the bailiffs removed the two jars from the courtroom with a spectator remarking, "crude oil is being embezzled!"

Khodorkovsky told the court that he sought through this simple example to examine the subject of the indictment and demonstrate the absurdity of the charges.

SOURCE Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Press Center