- On October 25, 2003, Khodorkovsky (below called MK) was
arrested for tax evasion and corruption, dating from when the Soviet Union
dissolved and state privatizations followed. "Behind every great fortune
lies a great crime," explained Honore de Balzac. Billionaire Russian
oligarchs, like MK, illegitimately amassed great fortunes, avoiding prosecution
during Yeltsin's tenure (1991 - 1999).
-
- Beginning in 1991, various socio-economic measures were
implemented without public discussion or parliamentary approval. Most important
were Yeltsin's personal directives, creating a billionaire aristocracy
handed the economy's most important, profitable sectors, free of charge
- literally a license to loot.
-
- Changes began slowly under Vladimir Putin and Dmitry
Medvedev, though not easily. The rot is so widespread and deep. Oligarchs
like Boris Berezovsky fled to London, Moscow2, taking with them great fortunes.
Others staying behind wish they'd after Medvedev announced during an October
2008 Council to Combat Corruption session that:
-
- "Corruption in our nation has not simply become
wide-scale. It has become a common, everyday phenomenon which characterizes
the very life of our society. We are not simply talking about commonplace
bribery. We are talking about a severe illness which is corroding the economy
and corrupting all society."
-
- As a result, prosecutions followed. Some 2009 examples
against bureaucrats included:
-
- -- Nevelsk Mayor Vladimir Pak's suspension and charge
of embezzling 56 million rubles ($1.5 million);
-
- -- two Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) Main Directorate
officers detained on suspicion of accepting over $100,000 in bribes; and
-
- -- MVD Lt. Col. Dmitry Luzgin charged with extorting
$1 million from Russian Real Estate House management.
-
- According to MVD figures, annual Russian corruption ranges
from $20 - $40 billion. In 2006, Alexander Buksman, deputy general prosecutor
first deputy, estimated annual corruption at $240 billion, involving business
and bureaucrats. However, a combination of legal loopholes and close private-public
alliances lets most offenses go unpunished.
-
- Major Media Defend MK
-
- On October 29, (four days after his arrest), a New York
Times editorial headlined, "Putin's Old-Style KGB Tactics," saying:
-
- "After laboring to project the image of a rational,
law-abiding statesman, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has reverted
to the vengeful violence of his old employer....(Arresting MK) was a serious
mistake," citing market plunges "on the fear that the Kremlin
was showing its true authoritarian colors."
-
- An earlier August 13, 2003 Times editorial headlined,
"Moscow Machinations," saying:
-
- "....nobody knows for sure whether President Vladimir
Putin is personally behind the sudden crackdown on the giant oil company
Yukos....What is clear is that the Kremlin's strong-arm tactics have little
to do with battling economic crime and a lot to do with power and the coming
elections in Russia."
-
- An October 28 Washington Post editorial claimed "no
one is safe from arbitrary prosecution, or from the political whims of
the Kremlin, and the US State Department suggested that MK's arrest involved
"selective prosecution," adding that "We are concerned about
the rule of law, about maintaining the basic freedom of Russians."
-
- In fact, MK was summoned for questioning. At the time
he headed Yukos and was Russia's richest oligarch, ranking 16th on Forbes
billionaires list. Today, he faces years more in prison. More on that below.
-
- The Times railed about "masked agents" arresting
him instead of pursuing him in court. In fact, he defied a court order
to appear before prosecutors. Only then did arrest follow. Other allegations
suggested Yukos involvement in murders or attempted ones, targeting bureaucrats
or business competitors who interfered with company operations. One was
committed on MK's birthday, apparently a gift to the boss.
-
- MK's Background
-
- He began as a Stalinist bureaucrat. In 1987, he used
his Komsomol district committee control to organize Menatep, a commercial
enterprise to promote inventions and industrial innovations. It later became
one of Russia's largest banks. In the 1990s, through ties with Kremlin
bureaucrats, he used funds stolen from the state and unwary investors to
amass huge holdings in formerly state-owned enterprises at a fraction of
their value. In 1995 he bought Yukos assets for $300 million. In 2003,
its market value was $30 billion, a 100-fold ill-gotten gain.
-
- Why MK Was Targeted
-
- Besides corruption and tax evasion, political motives
were also in play. Allegedly he was bankrolling opposition parties, breaking
an unwritten agreement to stay out of politics in return for the state
keeping quiet about illicitly gotten riches.
-
- Key also were deals he was negotiating with ExxonMobil
and Chevron for up to a 50% stake in Yukos, violating Kremlin policy to
keep Russian control of state resources in government or home-grown private
hands. In addition, MK had White House political ties. For example, before
becoming Bush's National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, Condoleeza
Rice was a Chevron board member for 10 years and had a tanker named in
her honor. It was then quietly renamed the "Altair Voyager."
-
- Another factor was public hostility toward oligarchs,
so pervasive that prosecuting them is politically popular. US anger is
a combination of geopolitics and defending predatory capitalism's rapaciousness,
notably because of America's own criminal class. For decades, a Washington-corporate
cabal shifted trillions of public wealth to private hands, especially to
omnipotent Wall Street. At issue is shielding them at all costs so corrupt
practices can continue until everything worth owning is stolen.
-
- Before MK's arrest, Yukos was privately held. Afterwards,
company assets were bought by state-controlled Rosneft. Then, the majority
state-owned Gazprom (the world's largest natural gas company) bought oil
giant Sibneft. In 2006, Putin decided against further nationalizations,
but continued oil/gas industry control by having industry giants like Lukoil
maintain close government connections.
-
- Moreover, to stay in charge, state-owned Transneft controls
pipeline transportation. In fact, it's the largest Caspian Pipeline Consortium
(CPC) shareholder. Russia wants its production leveraged to control transport
and refining to maintain power over EU and neighboring state customers.
-
- As a result, the idea of selling large Yukos or other
major resource company assets to foreign buyers is anathema, especially
to Big Oil giants. MK also wanted Russia's pipeline monopoly broken with
a private one to shift the flow of oil. It was like declaring war on the
state and got him incarcerated.
-
- On May 31, 2005, he was convicted of fraud and tax evasion
and sentenced to nine years in prison, later reduced to eight years. In
March 2009, he and Platon Lebedev (billionaire, former Group Menatep CEO
and close MK associate) were tried for embezzlement and money laundering.
On December 27, 2010, both men were convicted, and on December 30 sentenced
to 14 years imprisonment, including time served. Lebedev also was convicted
in 2005.
-
- Rallying Round the Thief
-
- Again, The New York Times came to MK's defense in a December
28 editorial headlined, "What Rule of Law," saying:
-
- President Dmitri Medvedev can prove his "rule of
law" credentials "by using his pardon power to ensure that (MK)
faces no additional prison time after being convicted on trumped-up embezzlement
charges this week. (He's) already served seven years as a result of Mr.
Putin's judicial vendetta against him."
-
- Fairness and truth were never NYT long suits, editorially
defending a world-class criminal, guilty of predatory rapaciousness. On
December 28, the White House said:
-
- "We are deeply concerned that a Russian judge today
has indicated that for the second time (MK) and Platon Lebedev will be
convicted. We are troubled by the allegations of serious due process violations,
and what appears to be an abusive use of the legal system for improper
ends."
-
- No nation more egregiously violates rule of law principles
than America at home and abroad. No other more heinously spurns human rights,
civil liberties, due process, judicial fairness, and democratic values.
None also are more unjustifiably self-righteous.
-
- No broadsheet is more hypocritical than The Times, tainted
by decades of supporting wealth, corporate interests, and imperial wars.
Daily, its agenda is visible, arrogantly supporting power over popular
interests, even mega-criminals deserving condemnation. Indeed, truth and
fairness were never NYT long suits. Nor America's.
-
- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the
Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays
at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs
are archived for easy listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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