We have written a number of blog posts about the arrest of Semyon Mogilevich, his alleged ties to the natural gas trade, and the subsequent trial. Today, we are shocked to read of his release from jail.From the Financial Times, which also notes that such observation of pre-trial detention limits had never been observed for Mikhail Khodorkovsky:
A Moscow court has freed on bail Semyon Mogilevich, a suspected organised crime boss who is wanted by the FBI for alleged racketeering and fraud, 18 months after his arrest by armed commandos in Moscow on charges of tax fraud, the FT has learnt.
Mr Mogilevich's lawyer in Israel, Zeev Gordon, said the court had freed Mr Mogilevich and an alleged associate, Vladimir Nekrasov, on bail because the terms under which they could be held in detention had expired.
"I spoke with him on Friday after he was released. He is happy to be home," Mr Gordon said. The lawyer said the court made the ruling after it sent the prosecutors' tax fraud case back to investigators claiming it needed more work. "There is no evidence against him," he said.
Mr Mogilevich and Mr Nekrasov deny the allegations. Mr Mogilevich's lawyers in Russia could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The release of the two men, who were arrested in January 2008, is unusual for Russian courts where suspects are often held in pre-trial detention long beyond the legal expiry date of one year. Another high-profile prisoner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former Yukos tycoon, has spent 2½ years in detention since a second set of charges were brought against him in February 2007, while the court case continues.
