MOSCOW, April 14 (RAPSI) – Russian Federal Migration Service has officially notified Platon Lebedev, former business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, that he is temporarily prohibited from leaving Russia.
Lebedev will remain under travel restirictions until the compensation imposed by court in the Yukos case will be resolved, or the sides reach a settlement. Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court held in 2005 to collect the money from Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev. Khodorkovsky filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) asserting his right to the protection of property based on having been ordered to reimburse Yukos' tax arrears to the State. The ECHR agreed on this point in July 20
In 2005, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud and tax evasion. The second trial commenced in March 2009 and concluded with a guilty verdict in December 2010. The Khamovnichesky District Court of Moscow sentenced both men to 14 years in prison for oil theft and money laundering.
Later the Moscow City Court reduced their sentences by one year each. Then last year, the Moscow City Court reduced the sentence again from 13 to 11 years. In August the Supreme Court held that the sentences of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev should be lowered to 10 years and 10 months, thus partially satisfying their requests on supervisory appeal.
Khodorkovsky was released December 20 from serving out his sentence further as Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree pardoning him.