(Adds 5-8 paras) MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - Prosecutors began confiscating documents Thursday afternoon in the Open Russia non-governmental organization set up by jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky, as part of the investigation into suspected money laundering, the organization said.
"A group of 10 investigators carrying Prosecutor General's Office identification documents entered the Open Russia building after producing a warrant to confiscate documents relating to the Khodorkovsky-Lebedev money laundering case," read a press release of Open Russia, an organization founded in 2001 to carry out projects in education, culture and charity. Khodorkovsky, who was sentenced to eight years in jail together with his business partner Platon Lebedev for fraud and tax evasion, is the chairman of the Open Russia board.
Prosecutors said Wednesday they were searching and confiscating documents in some credit and financial, and legal organizations as part of the investigation into a money laundering case involving embattled oil major Yukos. The prosecutors accuse some Yukos staffers of stealing and laundering about $7 billion in 2000-03.
Open Russia said it saw the raid as an attempt to exert pressure on the organization that operates in full accordance with the law, as numerous 20 checks in the past year had shown.
Lebedev's lawyer Konstantin Rivkin said Khodorkovsky and Lebedev had heard about the Wednesday searches from the media.
"I told Lebedev about the searches today, but he had already learned some information from newspapers," he said.
Khodorkovsky's lawyer Anton Drel said his client would not be surprised if he had to face new charges.
"Khodorkovsky will not be surprised at any, even the most fantastical accusations in reply to his continuing public and political activity," the lawyer said after meeting his client.
