"Shameless pressure"

Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s father refused to answer most of the questions asked to him during interrogation in the TFR

Boris Khodorkovsky, the father of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was questioned on Thursday morning in the Investigative Committee of Russia in the case of the murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk Vladimir Petukhov in 1998. According to the lawyer, Boris Khodorkovsky refused to answer most of the questions from investigators, referring to his constitutional right not to testify against himself and his close relatives. On June 30, the Investigative Committee announced the resumption of the investigation in the case of the murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk, explaining that Mikhail Khodorkovsky could become one of the suspects in the case.

By 10 in the morning, 82-year-old Boris Khodorkovsky arrived accompanied by his lawyer to the building of the Investigative Committee in Technical Lane. Before the interrogation, the father of the former owner of the company Yukos did not comment on the situation to reporters, explaining only: "It was written on the agenda to appear - I appeared." The fact that investigators are waiting for Boris Khodorkovsky became known on August 5. On August 4, they brought the agenda to the suburbs of the Lyceum of Coralovo for orphans and children from dysfunctional families founded by Khodorkovsky’s parents.

It was reported that the agenda came from the investigator Yuri Burtovo, who was conducting the work of the head of the economic security department of Yukos Alexei Pichugin, accused of organizing several murders, including the murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk Vladimir Petukhov.

This is a shameless pressure on the family of Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky

The interrogation of Boris Khodorkovsky lasted about two and a half hours. The results of the conversation with the investigators were summed up by lawyer Sergei Badamshin . He confirmed to reporters that the interrogation was associated with the resumption of the investigation of the murder of Vladimir Petukhov. Boris Khodorkovsky asked a “fairly large” questions, he did not answer many of them, taking advantage of the 51st articles of the Constitution-the right to not testify against himself and his close relatives.

- Boris Moiseevich is a man aged 82 years old. How a person feels at this age, you understand perfectly. This is not the best activity for him - at 10 in the morning to come for an interrogation to the Investigative Committee. The interrogation took place enough in the correct form. Most of the questions did not meet the requirements of the law, including the 51st article of the Constitution. We took advantage of this.

Sergei Badamshin is convinced: the call of father Mikhail Khodorkovsky is associated with the desire of the authorities to put pressure on the family of the former owner of the company Yukos:

- I believe that this is a shameless pressure on the family of Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky. The day after the birthday, the day after the anniversary of the wife of the spouse, investigators bring a summons about the call to the Investigative Committee. It is clear to everyone that this is the pressure on Mikhail Borisovich himself. All questions about why, what fantasies do the investigation must be asked directly to the Investigative Committee. I cannot assume that it is in the minds of these people. I believe that at the forefront is the active social activity of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, that's the reason for the call of his father in order to exert pressure through his father.

According to Sergei Badamshin, Boris Khodorkovsky was interrogated as a witness. Whether it will be called for interrogations in the future depends on the fantasies of the investigation, the lawyer believes. Answering the question of whether Boris Khodorkovsky was going to leave Russia, Sergei Badamshin said that he had not talked with his client on this topic, but suggested that Khodorkovsky was unlikely to leave Russia-"he has a house here, he oversees a boarding house in which 180 children. He is engaged in this case."

In the public movement "Open Russia", created on the initiative of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, they expressed doubt that investigators seriously intend to investigate the murder of Vladimir Petukhov. The application on the site of the movement says, in particular, the following:

"The time, the place and the first witness, which was called for interrogation, show that no one plans to investigate the petukhov case seriously, no one should find tasks and for 12 years, an absolutely innocent person has been sitting for his crime that he has not committed. Thus, the only task set by the Russian Federation of the Russian Federation is to put pressure on Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his family."

Time, place and the first witness, which was called for interrogation, show that no one plans to seriously investigate the petukhov case

On June 30, the Russian Investigative Committee said that "in connection with the newly discovered circumstances," it was decided to resume the investigation of the murder of the mayor of Nefteyugansk Vladimir Petukhov . According to the official representative of the Investigative Committee of Vladimir Markin, the customer of this murder (as well as other "especially serious crimes") could be Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom the investigation also plans to interrogate, despite the fact that Khodorkovsky is outside Russia. Lawyer Mikhail Khodorkovsky Vadim Kluvgan called these accusations “fantasies” and “speculation”, and the former owner of the company Yukos said that he would not stop his public and human rights activities. Khodorkovsky also on Twitter asked the Investigative Committee to clarify whether new accusations were a response to the execution of decisions of the Camera Chamber of the arbitration court, under which Russia should pay the shareholders of the Yukos $ 50 billion for damage as a result of the compulsory bankruptcy of the company.

I ask Markin to clarify, is this a reaction to the performance of the Hague or to a series of articles about the future of Russia after Putin? http://t.co/qgan9lvtv0

- Khodorkovsky Mikhail (@Mich261213) June 30, 2015

On June 18, in the framework of the execution of this decision in Europe, the process of enforcement of Russian foreign property , not protected by diplomatic immunity, began.

The mayor of the city of Nefteyugansk Vladimir Petukhov was killed on June 26, 1998, on the birthday of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In 2007, the former head of the Yukos internal economic security department, Alexei Pichugin, was sentenced to life imprisonment for organizing this and other murders committed, according to the investigation, in the interests of Yukos. Pichugin denies guilt. It was from the arrest of Alexei Pichugin - June 19, 2003, as is commonly believed, that the Yukos case began, which has not yet been closed. On Thursday, the Interfax agency with reference to a source familiar with the situation reported that the investigation in the so -called "large Yukos case" was extended for another 3 months. Thus, the investigation has been going on for more than 12 years.