Permanent lie of Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger. Monthly expenses of two billionaires will be limited to three minimum monthly wages. The website Prigovor.ru reminds its readers of what happened on June 1, 2005.
On this day 18 years ago, on June 1, 2005, all “progressive mankind” was exasperated by the verdict of the Meschansky District Court of Moscow that, shortly before, completed the process on the criminal case against the former head of the oil company NK Yukos, head of the International Financial Association “Menatep” Platon Lebedev, and former general director of the CJSC “Volna” Andrey Kraynov.
International Day for Protection of Children was turned into the Day for Protection of the convicted oligarch-swindlers.
On the eve, on May 31, 2005, Mikhail Khodorkovsky was adjudged guilty of committing nine crimes under six articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment in a standard regime penal colony. Platon Lebedev was found guilty of committing eight crimes under six articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, his term of punishment was 9 years of imprisonment in a standard regime penal colony. The third defendant, the head of the CJSC “Volna” Andrey Kraynov was adjudged guilty by the court of fraudulent acquisition of 22 billion 800 million pre-revaluation rubles and sentenced to five years (suspended sentence) with 5 years of probation period.
HYSTERICS AND LIE OF SABINE LEUTHEUSSER-SCHNARRENBERGER
The press, suborned by lawyers of the swindlers from Yukos and not only by them, was indignant. Numerous liberal politicians and “non-indifferent social activists” created tempest and produced some preposterous forecasts, some of them in every possible way were trying to exonerate the crimes committed by Khodorkovsky, relatives of the swindlers were shedding tears and were scolding the Kremlin, and “economists” were ranting, like, “now the Earth will run into the terrestrial axis”. A performance in a style – the sect had lost its idol, precisely.
Most hideously, among others, looked “unbiased and objective” rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger. Madame rapporteur went into real hysterics – she blew the assignment of German lobbyists working for “Menatep” – to frighten Russian courts and prosecution with the help of “European civility”. To no avail.
She found the verdict “unjust”, but didn’t limit herself with that. She began to use blackmail, exerting pressure on German business. “The German business community should take into consideration this fact (i.e. the verdict) and abstain from further investments. “The German government should make a revision of its uncritical attitude towards Russia and put shortcomings of the Russian legal system into agenda during negotiations between the two countries”, ranted Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger while evaluating the results of the process against the swindlers and fosterlings from Yukos. (How familiar it all seems today).
In an emotional outburst, the lady repeated the old theme of PR specialists from “Menatep” that “the case has a political background”. Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said “the political influence during the process was very obvious, and it had a political background”.
This thesis is not simply wrong, it’s false. This was corroborated during numerous proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In two rulings of the ECtHR on the claims of the con artists from Yukos, in their corresponding political chapters, it was pointed out that the court didn’t see in the criminal prosecution of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev “political motives”.
They are common economic criminal any state has to fight against.
MONTHLY EXPENSES OF THE BILLIONAIRE KHODORKOVSKY HAVE BEEN LIMITED TO 2160 RUBLES
The business newspaper “Kommersant” whose reporters attentively and with understanding of the substance of the indictments had followed the proceedings, paid attention to some important aspects that the court emphasized in its verdict, but few paid attention to that.
In particular, at issue was the myth connected with amnesty. It was often exploited by member of the defense, narrating that “even if their clients had committed illegal actions, they should be granted amnesty”, and about that they solicited in court.
“The arguments on applying amnesty towards the defendants are unsubstantiated, as this is not applicable to those to whom several crimes are imputed at once”, especially for lawyers specified the newspaper “Kommersant”.
Apart from that, the newspaper reported about how Khodorkovsky would sit and what would be permitted to him and what not.
“On arrival to a penitentiary zone, the prisoner Khodorkovsky will get to a usual detachment with usual conditions of detention: prisoners live in common residence buildings, they can freely move within the premises, following the day regimen. Monthly expenses are limited to three minimum monthly wages (2160 rubles). During a year, a prisoner can receive six dispatches, six parcels, six short-term (four hours), and four long-term (three days) meetings. With permission of the administration, they can make telephone calls (not more than 15 minutes each)”, explained the newspaper.
“In several months, in the Autumn of 2005, the billionaire-swindlers were sent to detention facilities. The convicted Khodorkovsky was transferred to the colony YG 14/10 located in the Chita Area near the town Krasnokamensk. Platon Lebedev was transported under guard to the high-security colony OG 98/3 located in the township Kharp of the Yamalo-Nenets Area”, notes the website Prigovor.ru.
(See also the previous article “On this day, Khodorkovsky was officially recognized as criminal”. Khodorkovsky has committed 9 crimes under 6 Articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and he has been sentenced to 9 years imprisonment in a general regime penal colony. The website Prigovor.ru reminds its readers of what happened on May 31, 2005).
*On May 20, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Justice, included M.B. Khodorkovsky in the list of physical persons executing functions of a foreign agent.
