Tycoon's appeal rejected

Published on Friday 23 September 2005 01:07

A MOSCOW court yesterday threw out an appeal by jailed Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky against his conviction for fraud and tax evasion, but reduced his nine-year jail sentence to eight years.

"The punishment will come into force. The hearing is over. I ask the guards to take the convicted man away," said judge Vyacheslav Tarasov.

The ruling ended the legal battle by the 42-year-old tycoon, once Russia's richest man, against a campaign that his lawyers say was engineered by the Kremlin to punish him for his political ambitions.

Mr Khodorkovsky, who built up the Yukos oil giant after the collapse of the Soviet Union, smiled before being led out of the glass-fronted cage in the courtroom, and waved to relatives and supporters.

"We are with you, Misha," one man called out.

The jail sentence came into force automatically with the rejection of the appeal.

The court reduced the jail sentence by one year after throwing out one relatively minor charge from those originally brought against him.