Possible Scenarios of the Khodorkovsky Case
Russian experts comment on possible scenarios of the case against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev:
Leonid Gozman, co-chairman of the Right Case political party, believes that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's recent interview on the case is a sign to the country's elite. Gozman said: "After Putin's interview it became clear that the Khamovnichesky Court will not delay the verdict any longer. With his interview Putin showed who is the boss."
Alexey Makarkin, first deputy general director at the Center for Political Technologies, believes "the elite is still interested in the case as it tries to indentify the tendencies that dominate in the country. Khodorkovsky's acquittal would mean that they will stick with the liberal tendency."
Makarkin discussed three possible outcomes of the case against Khodorkovsky and Lebedev. He believes: "It will either be an almost impossible acquittal of the convicted, or their acquittal on the core charges and conviction on secondary charges with a short prison term (in this case both businessmen have a good chance for an early release), with a release after presidential elections." Finally, the third scenario could be a conviction for a long term, which would be "damaging for the country" since "we want to attract investors with hi-tech and internet, who are very sensitive to such cases."