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Kremlin says Putin has nothing to do with new charges against Khodorkovsky

According to the presiddent's press secretary, the decision to launch an investigation is made by an investigative authority

© Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

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Ex-Yukos chief ready to testify only to Swiss authorities in Siberian mayor murder case

Leonid Nevzlin, Alexey Pichugin, Gennady Tsigelnik, Yevgeny Reshetnikov and Vladimir Shapiro were earlier convicted for these crimes.

Khodorkovsky, who currently resides in Switzerland, has denied involvement in the murder of Vladimir Petukhov. He noted that he was ready to answer any questions over this criminal case only to the Swiss authorities. "If the country where I live now finds it necessary for me to answer these questions, I will do that."

Khodorkovskyalso said he didn't intend to go to Russia to be questioned over the case of the Siberian mayor’s murder. "I can say one thing: I won’t take part in this show," the ex-Yukos chief said.

The former head of oil giant Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and his business partner Platon Lebedev were found guilty of embezzlement and tax evasion in May 2005 and sentenced to nine years in prison.

While serving their prison term, both Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering in a second criminal case in December 2010 and sentenced to 14 years in prison, with account taken of the jail term they had served.

Khodorkovsky was pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin and left prison in December 2013. Lebedev was released in early 2014.

Media reports said the ex-Yukos head wrote in his pardon request that he pledged not to go into politics.

Vladimir Putin in late December 2014 also noted that Khodorkovsky asked to pardon him, at least he sent a corresponding paper, and "it seemed that he did not intend to engage in politics.”

The president later said Khodorkovsky still had the right to be engaged in politics.

Russian investigators voice concerns over Khodorkovsky’s refusal to change lifestyle

Russia’s Investigative Committee official spokesman said on Wednesday that Switzerland’s mayors should be concerned as Mikhail Khodorkovsky is not planning to change his lifestyle.

"I would be concerned over Khodorkovsky’s statement on the refusal to change lifestyle if I were a Swiss mayor or entrepreneur," Vladimir Markin wrote in his Twitter microblog in comment to the former tycoon’s words quoted by media reports.

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Vladimir Putin Yukos Mikhail Khodorkovsky

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