MOSCOW, December 16 - RAPSI. European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Judge Anatoly Kovler said the court's judgment in the YUKOS case may be appealed, the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) reports on Friday from a conference at the Justice Academy in Moscow.

"It is most likely that the judgment will be appealed by either party," Kovler said. He added that the decision is not yet final and can be reconsidered by the Grand Chamber.
The YUKOS case has been one of the most high profile cases in Russia in recent years. In the early 2000s, the authorities accused the management of YUKOS of embezzlement and tax evasion. YUKOS was later declared bankrupt and its assets were transferred to the state-run Rosneft.

YUKOS filed an appeal with the Strasbourg court in 2004 against the Russian tax authorities for illegal property seizure. YUKOS claimed the authorities violated several clauses of the European Convention for Human Rights. The claim was accepted in 2009.

The Strasbourg court ruled on September 20 that Russia violated several articles of the European Convention for Human Rights and declared the trials against the YUKOS unfair. Meanwhile, the court found no political bias in the cases.

The court postponed hearing a $98 billion compensation claim filed by YUKOS against Russia.