The Prosecutor General's Office has once again found a way of using Yukos as an excuse to cook up allegations against someone who has no links to the former company.
Even Russia's mainstream media, which have never been known for questioning the state's motives, seem uncomfortable with the blatantly false state allegations that Stichting Yukos International, a Yukos-related Dutch foundation, paid prominent economist Sergei Guriev to co-author a report that concluded that the second trial and conviction of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky was unfounded.
Stichting Adminsistratiekantoor Yukos International is an entity formed under Dutch law for the purpose of defending international assets of the former Yukos oil company. Its function is to pursue compensation claims for the victims of the Russian government's expropriation of the company.
Stichting Yukos International did not even exist at the time of the alleged payments, and the company has never had any direct involvement in any aspect of the two trials of Khodorkovsky or with any aspect of the funding of his legal costs or any other expenses.
Yukos is still used by the Prosecutor General's Office to fabricate allegations against people who dare to speak against the government 10 years after the initial attacks on the company started.
The Prosecutor General's Office hopes that few will remember the facts of the Yukos expropriation. But this is not the case. A decade of legal proceedings may seem like a long time, but throughout this period independent jurisdictions have consistently found that Russia acted illegally in destroying and expropriating Yukos.
A third criminal case against Khodorkovsky is looking increasingly likely, and the Prosecutor General's Office will use every foul tactic to undermine the good name and positive contributions that many are making to protect the lives, welfare and investments of victims of the illegal expropriation of Yukos and incarceration of many of its management.
Guriev, who fled to France in May after being pressured by Russian investigators, is another victim of speaking the truth about the Yukos and Khodorkovsky affairs, something Putin and his government don't want anyone to know or understand.
Bruce Misamore is former chief financial officer of Yukos.
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