Controversy reignites over Khodorkovsky trial

The judge who sentenced Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner to six-and-a-half more years in prison was acting under pressure from his superiors, judicial assistant Natalya Vasilyeva claimed yesterday, reviving worries about the motivations behind and conduct of the trial. Vasilyeva had served as Judge Viktor Danilkin’s aide and press secretary throughout the 20-month trial, and asserted that the December verdict originated from the higher Moscow City Court. The court’s spokeswoman today characterised Vasilyeva’s accusations as a “provocation” designed to influence the defence’s appeal of the verdict. Danilkin personally rejected his aide’s claims, even suggesting that he might file suit against her. However, the allegations have been seized on by human rights activists as evidence of judicial impropriety, with some groups suggesting that President Dmitry Medvedev must now order an inquiry into the conduct of the trial. Such an inquiry might send a positive signal to foreign investors, but carries high costs for the Kremlin. Khodorkovsky is not a sympathetic figure in Russia, and drawing further attention to his trial and upcoming appeal is deeply uncomfortable for Medvedev, who claims that he wants to combat ‘legal nihilism’.