The prosecution will adhere to legislation easing punishment for economic crimes concerning the case of the former Yukos oil major CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
The court proved on Thursday the guilt of Khodorkovsky and Lebedev on new charges of stealing 350 million tons of oil.
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are serving eight-year sentences for fraud and tax evasion. In May, they were accused of stealing $9.6 billion from the $15.8 billion profit generated by Yukos between 1999 and 2003, as well as 350 million tons of oil.
"We will ask the punishment for Khodorkovsky and Lebedev to be considered with the easing of the law," the prosecutor said during the trial.
In April, President Dmitry Medvedev signed into law amendments to legislation easing the penalty for economic crimes. He also proposed updating the law on money laundering, a vaguely formulated article in the criminal code that has allowed law-enforcers to arbitrarily interpret offences committed by businessmen.
The prison sentence for money laundering dropped to 10 years from 15 years before the law came into effect.
MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti)
