Court Finds Khodorkovsky’s Punitive Confinement Was Illegal

From ITAR-TASS:

Khodorkovsky put to punitive confinement illegally MOSCOW, January 31 (Itar-Tass) – The Krasnokamensk city court of the Chita region has ruled that ex-Yukos Chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky was put into a punitive confinement last June illegally, a source from the city court told Tass. The court has satisfied Khodorkovsky’s and his lawyers’ appeal that demanded to recognize the sanction illegal. Khodorkovsky was sent to the punitive confinement to serve punishment administered by the prison administration for the violation of prison rules that ban inmates from turning over food to one another. It was Khodorkovsky’s third punishment during his prison term. At present, Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been at the Chita Detention Center under an investigation into a new criminal case, with Khodorkovsky and MENATEP Chief Platon Lebedev being presumed suspects in another case of money laundering and embezzlement. Yukos lawyers do not rule out that Mikhail Khodorkovsky might be prosecuted on a new charge. Both Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev were indicted in 2005 and sentenced to eight- year prison term each on charges of fraud and tax evasion.