The Symonovsky Court ruled that prosecutors could charge Executive Vice President Vasily Aleksanyan with embezzling more than 12 billion rubles (about $460 million) from Yukos production unit Tomskneft and some other oil companies' funds, and laundering another 12.7 bln rubles ($460.8 mln) through his personal account in a Swiss bank.
Aleksanyan denied any wrongdoing before the ruling.
"As you can see, I am staying in Russia, am not trying to flee the country, and I do not believe I am guilty of anything," said Aleksanyan, who as head of the Yukos legal department acted for ex-Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Yukos-Moscow's former president Vasily Shakhnovsky in their trials.
Aleksanyan added that the prosecutors' actions could be linked to his appointment as Yukos executive president, a move which the Yukos board only endorsed on Tuesday. The board then said he would be entrusted with representing the interests of stakeholders, including creditors and shareholders, and ensuring that the company's assets were protected.
Yukos said in a Wednesday news release, "It is the Company's hope that Mr. Aleksanyan will not be unduly prevented from carrying out this very important task for all concerned."
The official, whose apartment and country house were searched yesterday by the investigators, was not in court.
Ex-CEO Khodorkovsky is in the first year of an eight-year sentence for fraud and embezzlement.
