Khodorkovsky Charged in Absentia in Murder, Attempted Murder

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was a shareholder and board director of the Yukos oil company, instructed his subordinate employees of the company to murder persons, whose business activity was in contradiction to the interests of Yukos, according to Russian Investigative Committee.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Former head of the now defunct Yukos oil company Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been charged in absentia in organizing the murder of Nefteyugansk Mayor Vladimir Petukhov in 1998, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said Friday.

Khodorkovsky was also charged in absentia for the attempted murder of Petukhov’s companion Vyacheslav Kokoshkin as well as attempted murder of the executive director of the East Petroleum Handelsgez company, Vyacheslav Rybin.

“According to investigations, it was Khodorkovsky, while a shareholder and board director of the Yukos oil company, instructed his subordinate employees of the company, [Leonid] Nevzlin and [Alexei] Pichugun and others, to murder Petukhov and Rybin, whose business activity was in contradiction to the interests of Yukos,” Markin said.

Markin said Khodorkovsky would be put on a wanted list.

“Since Khodorkovsky did not appear before the Russian Investigative Committee [when summoned], he will soon be put on the wanted list,” Markin said.

Khodorkovsky is believed to be somewhere in Europe.