Judge Irina Kolesnikova told the parties to the trial at the previous court meeting that she was giving the prosecution time to prepare for oral statements and acknowledged that the state prosecution was prepared for the next stage of the trial. A representative of the civil plaintiff requested to fix the debates on March 29.
Defense lawyers said they would declare their position and the timeframe for the debates after the prosecution made its statements.
However, Genrikh Padva, a lawyer, said the defense team would need at least 5 working days to prepare for the debates.
Debates are one of the final stages in a court trial. The lawyers are expected to issue a statement on the charges brought up against their client based on the examined evidence.
Officials from the Prosecutor General's Office, i.e. the prosecution that is usually the first to present a case, are expected to recommend an appropriate sentence to the defendants.
The court trial on Khodorkovsky, Lebedev, and Krainov has lasted 9 months.
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have not admitted guilt, while Krainov admitted guilt in part.
The former were charged with crimes under 7 articles of Russia's criminal code, including tax evasion and major fraud.
Krainov was charged with fraud, the blatant non-compliance by a commercial organization employee with the court decision that came into force, and with causing major damage to property owners.
