MOSCOW, May 30 (RIA Novosti) - The reading of the verdict in the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former Yukos CEO, Platon Lebedev, the head of the Menatep group, and Andrei Krainov, the former head of the Volna company, in the Meshchansky Court was adjourned until May 31.
Today the court finished reading the verdict in the embezzlement of budget funds by Andrei Krainov and started assessing expert conclusions submitted by his lawyers. (Unlike Khodorkovsky and Lebedev, Krainov pleaded guilty on some charges and agreed to cooperate with investigators. He may face a suspended sentence).
According to Judge Irina Kolesnikova, the court did not admit expert conclusions because the defense had no right to address experts while collecting evidence.
Khodorkovsky's lawyer Genrikh Padva refused to comment on the verdict in regard to his defendant. He did not say either when the court will stop reading the verdict and make the final decision.
The trial lasted ten months and the reading of the verdict began on May 16.
The Menatep holding was Yukos' major shareholder. In 2003, it owned 44% of Yukos shares. According to the investigation, Menatep set up a bogus company, Volna, with Krainov as director general, for illegal business transactions.
Khodorkovsky spent nearly 18 months in a pre-trial detention center and Lebedev - 20 months. Krainov signed a pledge not to leave the country. They are charged under seven articles of the Criminal Code each, including of tax evasion and grand fraud. Krainov is charged with fraud, damage to the property of the owner and neglect for the enforced court decision.
