Khodorkovsky to Appeal After Court Denies Parole, Lawyer Says

By Greg Walters

Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned former chief executive officer of OAO Yukos Oil Co., plans to appeal a court ruling today denying him parole, his lawyer said.

``Frankly speaking, we never had any illusions,'' Yuri Schmidt said by mobile telephone from St. Petersburg. ``We tried to let all of society understand through our statements that freeing Khodorkovsky would be a just and lawful step.''

Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, is serving an eight- year sentence for fraud and tax evasion, while he faces new charges of embezzlement and money-laundering that could add 20 years to his term. The court in the Siberian city of Chita gave Khodorkovsky's legal team 10 days to appeal, Schmidt said.

``I have every right to regain my liberty,'' Khodorkovsky said in a statement posted on his Web site before the ruling. ``I am counting on the implementation of this right.''

The former executive denies the accusations, saying they are politically motivated by his opposition to President Dmitry Medvedev's predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who is now prime minister.

State-run OAO Rosneft now controls most of the former assets of bankrupt Yukos.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Walters in Moscow gwalters1@bloomberg.net