The politically charged criminal case against Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, Russia's wealthiest man, opened today, and, if convicted, he could face a sentence of up to 10 years in jail.
...The case against Mr. Khodorkovsky, whose estimated worth is $15 billion, is widely viewed as one in which the Kremlin is making an example of him to other rich Russian businessmen. The apparent message: by interfering in politics, they could pay the price for what are perceived as their ill-gotten gains won during Russia's wild privatization era.
NY Times article
...The case against Mr. Khodorkovsky, whose estimated worth is $15 billion, is widely viewed as one in which the Kremlin is making an example of him to other rich Russian businessmen. The apparent message: by interfering in politics, they could pay the price for what are perceived as their ill-gotten gains won during Russia's wild privatization era.
And the official charges are fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion.
That'd be news, wouldn't it? A billionaire in the oil industry involved in shady operations.
