Jailed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been taken to Moscow from his prison in Siberia to face a new trial next month.

Once Russia’s richest man, he is currently serving eight years behind bars for tax evasion and other offences. Khodorkovsky now faces fresh charges of fraud and theft. Russian media says he and his one time business partner Platon Lebedev are accused of embezzling nearly a trillion roubles, that’s more than 20 billion euros. Supporters of Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in 2003, say he was unfairly targeted because of his political ambitions and criticism of the then president Vladimir Putin. The former head of oil giant Yukos, Khodorkovsky has always proclaimed his innocence, saying he was the victim of corrupt officials under Putin, who wanted to carve up his business empire.More about: Russia

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