پایگاه خبری تحلیلی شرق سایت خبری تحلیلی شرق Related Articles
“We expect everyone to mind their own business, both at home and in the international arena,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a blunt statement on Tuesday.
The remark comes a day after the United States, Germany and Canada strongly criticized a second guilty verdict delivered against Khodorkovsky at a Moscow district court.
During Monday’s trial, the billionaire and his business partner Platon Lebedev were charged with embezzlement and laundering of stolen property.
The United States was quick to express its “deep concern” about the verdict, calling it a “selective application” of justice.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle meanwhile said he was “very worried” by the “extremely dubious” trial. He also exclaimed that the verdict was “a step back” on the road toward modernization.
On Tuesday, Canada added its voice to the chorus, reminding the Russians that “political considerations should have no role in the judicial process.”
The Russian government slammed Western criticisms as “groundless.”
“Attempts to exert pressure on the court are unacceptable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Khodorkovsky, the former head of the Yukos oil company, and his business partner Lebedev are accused of stealing over 26 billion dollars worth of oil from their company between 1998 and 2003.
Both Khodorkovsky and Lebedev maintained their innocence and claimed the charges against them were politically motivated.
The trial, which began in March 2009, was the second for the two men. During a 2005 hearing, both Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were sentenced to eight years behind bars for tax evasion.
The new verdict is likely to keep Khodorkovsky and Lebedev in prison for several more years, but the announcement of the final verdict may take some days.
Critics believe that the Kremlin wants Khodorkovsky behind bars for as long as possible because he financed the opposition when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the country’s president.
However, many in Russia have no sympathy for the oligarch.
Some analysts have compared the Russian tycoon to US financier Bernard Madoff, who was sentenced to a 150 years in prison for large-scale fraud
