Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky stands behind a glass wall before the start of a court session in Moscow, in October 2010.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he plans to pardon jailed former oligarch and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Following a news conference on December 19, Putin told reporters that Khodorkovsky recently "wrote to me asking for pardon. He has already spent over 10 years in confinement. This is a serious punishment."
Putin added that Khodorkovsky said his mother was ill. "Considering all those circumstances, I believe it is possible to make a relevant decision and a [presidential] pardon decree for him will be signed in the nearest future," he said.
Khodorkovsky's lawyers denied the former head of the now dismantled Yukos oil company had asked for a pardon. Attorney Karina Moskalenko said, "I haven't heard anything about him requesting a pardon."
His legal team, however, later on December 19 said they would make no more statements before having met with Khodorkovsky, who is currently in a prison colony in the northwestern region of Karelia.
Khodorkovsky factbox
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
As the head of Yukos oil and valued at $15 billion, Khodorkovsky was once Russia's richest man. He benefitted from the country's privatization of state assets in the 1990s.
In October 2003 Khodorkovsky was arrested and later convicted of tax evasion. He and his business partner, Platon Lebedev, were sentenced to eight years in prison. Khodorkovsky had refused to heed warnings from President Vladimir Putin that oligarchs were to avoid politics, and his imprisonment was widely viewed as politically motivated.
In 2010, just a year before he was scheduled to be released, Khodorkovsky was convicted and sentenced to a second prison term for money laundering and embezzlement. He is set to be released in August 2014.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said that there was "a letter with his [Khodorkovsky's] signature" requesting a pardon.
Putin said during his news conference that there would be no third case brought against Khodorkovsky's former company Yukos but did not make mention, during the lengthy news conference, of any pardon for Khodorkovsky or his jailed partner, Platon Lebedev.
Khodorkovsky's lawyers have said requesting a pardon from Putin would be tantamount to an admission of guilt.
Pavel Krasheninnikov, the head of the State Duma Committee on Legislation, said that according to the Russian Constitution, it was not necessary to admit guilt in order to file a petition for a pardon.
Khodorkovsky continues to maintain his innocence. Critics say his conviction and imprisonment were politically motivated.
Khodorkovsky was arrested in 2003, shortly after becoming active in Russian politics, and convicted of tax evasion in 2005. He was convicted of embezzlement at a second trial in 2010.
Khodorkovsky's prison term is due to expire in August 2014.
Khodorkovsky: From Young Tycoon To Graying Inmate
1/12Khodorkovsky speaks at the Yukos headquarters in Moscow in June 2003, months before his arrest on fraud and tax evasion charges.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
2/12Russian police escort the former Yukos oil chief to a courthouse in Moscow on December 23, 2003.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
3/12Khodorkovsky supporters protest outside a Moscow court on January 15, 2004. Many Russians see him as a political prisoner jailed for political ambition and his criticism of President Putin. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
4/12Khodorkovsky at a hearing at the Chita Regional Court in October 2008. During his imprisonment, Yukos was broken up and sold off, mostly into state hands.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
5/12Supporters rally on August 27, 2009, as prosecutors presented new charges against Khodorkovsky.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
6/12Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are escorted to a hearing in Moscow on January 11, 2010.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
7/12Elena Lukyanova (left), a lawyer for Khodorkovsky, and his daughter Anastasia Khodorkovskaya attend "Znamya" magazine's literary award ceremony in January 2010, where Khodorkovskaya received an award on her father's behalf for his "Dialogues With Lyudmila Ulitskaya."
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
8/12The former CEO's mother, Marina Khodorkovskaya (right), his wife Inna (left), and his daughter Anastasia walk out after a court hearing in Moscow on December 30, 2010. A judge sentenced Khodorkovsky to additional prison time on new charges of financial crimes.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
9/12Khodorkovsky's book "Articles. Dialogues. Interviews." is presented in Moscow in January 2011.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
10/12Police detain a Khodorkovsky supporter during a gathering in central Moscow in June 2011.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
11/12Activists in London send a birthday message to Khodorkovsky in 2012. On June 26, 2013, he celebrated his 50th birthday in a remote prison colony near the Arctic Circle.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
12/12Members of a pro-Kremlin youth group wear masks representing anti-Putin opposition leaders during a demonstration called "Send them to join Khodorkovsky as guests!" on the occasion of the jailed businessman's 50th birthday.
October 25 marks the tenth anniversary of the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man. The former CEO of oil giant Yukos was arrested in 2003 on tax evasion and fraud charges along with his business partner Platon Lebedev; in 2010, the two were sentenced to additional jail time on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky is now due to be released in August 2014. The case against him is seen by many in Russia as retribution for Khodorkovsky's political challenges to the Kremlin.
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