Khodorkovsky Believes in Medvedev
Mikhail Khodorkovsky praised President Dmitry Medvedev in an interview with The Financial Times Deutschland.
Given Medvedev's modernization policy, Khodorkovsky cherishes hopes for his release from prison in the near future. He said: "Undoubtedly, we will soon learn the position of the Kremlin with regard to my concrete case, as the trial already appears to have failed from a legal point of view." Khodorkovsky added that two prominent witnesses - former Economy Minister German Gref and Trade and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko - had refuted "the vital allegations of the prosecution."
Khodorkovsky said that Medvedev was "more open-minded about a dialogue with society." He added: "The President's genuine willingness to move towards the rule of law, democratic leadership methods and towards fighting corruption at all levels is currently put to the test." Khodorkovsky renewed his claim to summon the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a witness.
The Financial Times Deutschland noted that if this trial ended or Khodorkovsky were to be acquitted of the charges against him, he would be released in the autumn of next year. Until then, he will have to serve a previous disputed sentence. The publication added that over the past months, signals pointing towards a favorable outcome for Khodorkovsky were mounting. It refereed to Khristenko's and Gref's statements, the dropped proceedings against the gravely ill former YUKOS vice president Vasily Aleksanyan, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel's campaign for Khodorkovsky's release.
According to observers, the cases' outcome will be a political decision. One important aspect could be whether the Kremlin continues to fear political activities from Khodorkovsky: 2012, the year after his potential release, the next presidential elections are due.
Khodorkovsky himself says about possible future activities as a free man: "First and foremost, I have a family who has been waiting for me for many years. I have a granddaughter that I haven't even seen. I very much hope that I won't be presented with the alternative to either leave the country or to stay in prison for the second time. In terms of my professional activities, the oil business is a closed chapter as far as I'm concerned."