Last month prosecutors referred to the courts a criminal case against Berezovsky and Yuly Dubov, accused of money laundering during a deal for the delivery of a large batch of cars produced at the AvtoVAZ car plant in Togliatti.
"We will not take part in this trial since our client holds the position that the court's verdict has already been decided, and has prohibited us from taking part in the hearing," Andrei Borovkov said.
Over a dozen criminal probes have been launched in Russia against Berezovsky, a one-time close associate of late president Boris Yeltsin, including plotting to stage a coup and embezzling $13 million from a leading Russian bank.
Russia has issued multiple warrants for Berezovsky's arrest and has repeatedly demanded his extradition from Britain, where he was granted political asylum in 2000.
According to investigators, Berezovsky, who was the mastermind behind an organized criminal group, used his personal connections with the management of AvtoVAZ to arrange for a deal in 1994 between AvtoVAZ and another automaker, LogoVAZ, managed by the former oligarch and other group members.
"Under the contract, AvtoVAZ undertook to supply 20,000 VAZ cars of different models to LogoVAZ at prices valid at the time of supply. Prepayment for the cars was not envisaged," investigators said in a statement last month.
Investigators believe that Berezovsky and other members of his criminal group planned to use the proceeds from the sale of the cars to acquire stocks in reputable companies, real estate, and for other personal needs.
They have established that contrary to the contract terms, the criminal group led by Berezovsky failed to pay AvtoVAZ for 5,560 vehicles supplied and used an estimated sum equivalent to around $24 million for their own needs.
In particular, the money was spent on acquiring shares in Russian Public Television and the Moscow Independent Broadcasting Corporation, which owned the TV6 channel. Also, a part of the money was spent on real estate purchases in elite areas outside Moscow.
Investigators have also established that Berezovsky spent part of the money to buy a 14.3-hectare plot of land in the Krasnogorsk district northwest of Moscow for his daughter.
