Khodorkovsky 'to get further jail term', says lawyer
By Richard Galpin
BBC News, Moscow
Prosecutors say Khodorkovsky is guilty of massive financial crimes.
A lawyer representing former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has told the BBC he expects his client to be found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to another long prison term.
He was speaking as the second trial of the former head of the Yukos oil giant is expected to wrap up on Tuesday. The verdict is due in the coming weeks.
Khodorkovsky who has already spent seven years in prison for tax evasion.
He says all the charges against him are politically motivated.
'Rubbish' charges
Crowds of Khodorkovsky's friends and relatives as well as observers and journalists have been battling to get inside a small courtroom in central Moscow to hear the closing stages of this latest trial.
Khodorkovsky has already spent time in prisons in eastern Siberia and in the capital.
He was due to be released next year.
But now it is widely assumed he will be found guilty of the new charges of embezzlement and money laundering which could keep him in prison until 2017.
He and his business partner Platon Lebedev stand accused of stealing more than two billion barrels of oil which they say amounts to 20% of Russia's entire output at the time.
In court, Khodorkovsky has described the charges as rubbish.
But prosecutors have asked the judge for a long prison sentence.
The government says Khodorkovsky is guilty of massive financial crimes.
Many observers believe the government wants him behind bars for as long as possible because he had challenged Vladimir Putin, then president, now prime minister, by financing the opposition.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
growing weedfrontline for dogs