Russian mogul Boris Berezovsky, living in exile in London
Photo: Valery Levitin
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British Judge Saves Taxpayers' Money on Berezovsky
British judge Timothy Workman turned down the request for the extradition of Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who is accused by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office of plotting a forcible takeover of the government, without a close examination of the case, citing the protection granted Berezovsky by his political asylee status. One of the bases for the charges against Berezovsky is an interview he granted a news agency in which he claimed that he was preparing “a forcible seizure of power.”
Berezovsky's Russian lawyer, Semen Aria, noted that other charges against the businessman included financing Chechen militants by paying ransom demands. He speculated that the Russian special services initiated the case partly to speed the passage of amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to allow criminal suspects to be tried in absentia.
Berezovsky told Kommersant that he did not attend the hearing on his extradition but was represented by his lawyer British Andrew Stephenson. “The hearing was scheduled for 4:00 and the English court finishes its work at 4:30,” Berezovsky said. “The case isn't worth a damn now. It's only in Russia that they are trying to blow all sorts of stories about me out of proportion and make me look like a beast. Here, everything is quite well understood.” He added that the case was decided quickly “because I have political asylum and it is absolutely senseless to spend the money of the British taxpayers and take up the judge's time when the outcome is known in advance.”
This case can be taken as an indication that other extradition requests for political asylees may be turned down as well in that country. Among the Russian political asylees in Great Britain are Berezovsky's close associate Yuly Dubov, Ichkerian (Chechen) representative Akhmed Zakaev, former chief accountant of YUKOS oil company Dmitry Maruev, Rosprom executive Natalia Chernysheva and former general director of Apatite Trade Alexander Gorbachev. Kommersant has obtained information that approximately ten more former employees of YUKOS have also received political asylum in Great Britain.
Alek Akhundov, Evgeny Khvostik
All the Article in Russian as of June 07, 2006
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