Ex-Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky under a new trial on grand theft charges on Tuesday suggested the court hold an investigative experiment to make it more comprehensible how he could have stolen oil.
Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, is now serving an eight-year sentence for fraud and tax evasion handed to him in 2005, and is now trying to prove in court he could not have stolen 350 million tons of oil he is presently being charged with.
The defense brought into the court jars with two different products - a one-liter jar of oil and three-liter jar of water - and asked investigators to remove some oil from the jar using one of the methods described in the accusations.
Khodorkovsky explained to the court there is a big difference between the initial products of water and crude oil which is drawn from it.
The defendant emphasized there is only one way to steal oil, which is stealing it directly from the pipeline. He said all the assumed methods of stealing oil he is accused of are unrealistic.
However the court rejected the appeal for the investigative experiment. "Remove the flammable fluids from the court. I see nothing amusing about flammable liquid existing in the court where there are so many people and just one door," the judge said.
Khodorkovsky also explained to investigators that Yukos had bought up only the rights on oil from its subsidiaries, but it not the oil itself. "Oil from the subsidiaries did not disappear. Any documents, which prove the oil was stolen, do not exist in this investigation, or anywhere else," he said.
Khodorkovsky, who argues the legality of a criminal case against him, said there were no statements the oil disappeared. He also accused the prosecution of treating him like a "small-time merchant."
In connection with this, Khodorkovsky asked the court to question the investigator who signed the initiation of the criminal case to give details on how the case was substantiated.
"If such documents can't be found, I suggest the prosecutors withdraw the accusations and close the criminal case," Khodorkovsky said.
However, the prosecution considered Khodorkovsky's appeal an attempt to delay the process, and said the accusations would not be retracted.
MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti)
