Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Russia

Khodorkovsky Associate Jumps Bail

January 16, 2007 -- Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika confirmed today that a man indicted in a Yukos-related court case has escaped while on trial for fraud.

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January 16, 2007

Russian authorities had put Antonio Valdes Garcia, who was on bail during his trial, under police guard, but he managed to slip away.

Valdes Garcia, a dual Russian-Spanish citizen, was a former general manager of a Yukos-affiliated trading company. He was charged as an accomplice, with jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky and others, in the alleged embezzlement of $13 billion.

Chaika denied Valdes Garcia was a key witness in Yukos-related court cases.

The prosecutor-general also said today that new money-laundering charges will be filed against former executives of the bankrupt oil company, including Khodorkovsky.

Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year prison term for fraud and tax evasion. His conviction and the state-run attack on Yukos were widely seen as politically motivated.

(Reuters, ITAR-TASS)

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