Russia: Ex-Premier Accuses Putin in Tycoon’s Trial

Vladimir V. Putin, then Russia’s president, ordered the prosecution of an oil tycoon because he was supporting political parties without Mr. Putin’s permission, former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said in court on Monday. The tycoon, Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, owner of the now bankrupt Yukos company, and his partner, Platon Lebedev, are accused of embezzling 350 million tons of oil. After Mr. Khodorkovsky was arrested, Mr. Kasyanov, left, pressed Mr. Putin for an explanation. “He said something like this: That Yukos was financing political parties — not just the Union of Right Forces and Yabloko, which he, President Putin, allowed them to finance, but also the Communist Party, which he, President Putin, did not allow them to finance,” Mr. Kasyanov testified. He said he was shocked to learn that “lawful support of political parties still required secret approval from the president of the Russian Federation.”

By ELLEN BARRY - May 24, 2010