Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Critic Khodorkovsky Named as Murder Suspect in Russia

Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was arrested in 2003 and convicted of theft and tax evasion in 2005.

Russia wants to question former oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a suspect in a murder case that has been reopened because of new evidence, federal investigators said Tuesday.

Khodorkovsky, the former owner of the now-defunct Yukos oil company, spent a decade in jail after falling out with Vladimir Putin. Now living in Switzerland, he remains one of the president's most vocal critics.

He has denied involvement in the 1998 murder of Vladimir Petukhov, the mayor of a Siberian town where Yukos had its biggest oil production unit. He has suggested on Twitter that the new investigation was politically motivated.

Announcing on its website that the case had been reopened, the federal Investigative Committee, which answers directly to Putin, said it wanted to question Khodorkovsky.

"According to information obtained by the Investigative Committee, Yukos head Mikhail Khodorkovsky could have ordered this murder and a number of other serious crimes," the committee's spokesman, Vladimir Markin, said.

"I don't think his absence from Russia will be an insurmountable obstacle to carrying out all the necessary investigative actions."

Petukhov, who was shot dead, had been leading a public campaign against Yukos over alleged tax arrears. A Yukos security chief was later convicted of his murder.

Vadim Klyuvgant, a lawyer for Khodorkovsky, told the RIA Novosti news agency Markin's remarks were "fantasy."

Khodorkovsky suggested they were a response to articles he has written criticizing Putin or to a court settlement in The Hague compensating Yukos shareholders who lost out when Russia seized the company, broke it up and nationalized it.

"I ask Markin to explain whether this is a reaction to implementation [of the case in] The Hague or a reaction to the series of articles on the future of Russia after Putin?" he wrote on Twitter.

Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, was arrested in 2003 and convicted of theft and tax evasion in 2005. Critics saw this as punishment for opposing Putin, which the Kremlin denies. He was pardoned and released from prison in 2013.

An international arbitration court ruled last July that Russia must pay $50 billion for expropriating Yukos' assets. It has not complied and a group of former shareholders has started legal proceedings to have the order enforced.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more