MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - Former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, the head of Yukos's core shareholder Menatep group, have arrived at the Moscow City Court for a hearing, appealing their May conviction of fraud and tax evasion.
Lebedev will appear despite his refusal in June to participate in the appeal process in person.
"I understand only too well that I have and will have no opportunity to defend myself against falsified accusations and the inescapably unfair verdict in the appeal process at the Moscow City Court. Therefore, I refuse to participate in the process," Lebedev's lawyer Konstantin Rivkin quoted him as saying earlier.
On Tuesday, Lebedev said he would not need attorneys during the appeal.
On May 31, the Meshchansky Court sentenced Khodorkovsky and Lebedev to nine years in prison.
