Khodorkovsky business partner Platon Lebedev to be freed

Russia's highest court decided yesterday to free the jailed business partner of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky three months early but left in place a tax bill of 17 billion rubles (HK$3.9 billion) that will, in effect, prevent Khodorkovsky from returning to Russia.

Khodorkovsky was pardoned in December by President Vladimir Putin and put directly on a plane to Berlin. Now, his partner, Platon Lebedev, is to walk free.

Both men spent more than 10 years in prison in a case seen as revenge for Khodorkovsky challenging Putin's economic and political power in the early years of his presidency.

Khodorkovsky has said he would not return to Russia as long as the back-tax claim remained in force because it could be used to prevent him from leaving the country again.

Since his release, Khodorkovsky has been cautious in any criticism of Putin. He has said that he has no interest in getting involved in Russian politics or fighting for the return of his oil company, Yukos, most of which was taken over by state-owned Rosneft.

Khodorkovsky had said his priority would be to win the release of Lebedev and the former Yukos security chief, Alexei Pichugin, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.