Lawyers for imprisoned Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky say authorities have filed new charges against their client.
The
lawyers say they are still trying to determine the exact nature of the
charges. But they indicate that those filed Monday appear to differ
little from earlier charges against the imprisoned former oil
executive. They called the new filing an effort to extend the inquiry
into the case.
Khodorkovsky, the former chief of the Yukos Oil
Company, is serving eight years in prison for fraud and tax evasion -
charges he says were politically motivated because of his support for
opposition politicians.
The former oil executive is being held
in the Siberian city of Chita, where authorities have been
investigating money laundering and theft charges against him.
The probe involves the theft of more than $33 million from Yukos subsidiaries.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
