Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

In his testimony on Tuesday, Platon Lebedev called the Open Russia episode in the first case against him "political". The Open Russia Foundation, founded by YUKOS, had its accounts frozen shortly before the Yuganskneftegaz auction. The investigators were suspicious of money being laundered through the foundation.

Platon Lebedev pointed out to the incoherence in the investigator's materials which claim the laundering took place few months before the money could have been stolen. "Many international companies invested into YUKOS shares. It is unlikely that investors would buy and sell shares of a company, from which all of its oil was stolen," the businessman added.