Platon Lebedev writes to President Medvedev


From: Citizen of the Russian Federation
Platon L. Lebedev

To: the President of the Russian Federation
Mr Dmitry A. Medvedev
The Kremlin
Moscow

Dear Mr President,

I find myself forced, for the first time, to appeal to you since our independent courts have, once again, denied me my constitutional right to a defence from unlawful accusation. They have refused a formal request for documents from government agencies that would refute the knowingly false and slanderous assertions made in official documents produced by the Prosecutor General's office (Grin, Karimov) and the Investigative Committee (Bastrykin, Alyshev).

These assert that: "M.B. Khodorkovsky and P.L. Lebedev are accused of theft by misappropriation of 38% of the shares in the Eastern Oil Company (VNK) plc, which belong to the Russian Federation, and their legalisation"[petition of 14 July 2008 to the court, 3 pages appended].

The said dishonest fabrications have also been lodged on the official website of the Prosecutor General's office (www.genproc.gov.ru) with the aim of deceiving and misleading Russian and international public opinion.

As I have already repeatedly asserted and continue to assert the following events, in reality, never took place (just as the imaginary "60 trillion US dollars" proved a fiction):

• That the Russian Federation (a federal agency of the Russian government) entrusted Lebedev (Khodorkovsky) with "38% of the shares in VNK plc belonging to the Russian Federation",

• And the "theft by misappropriation of the 38% of VNK plc shares belonging to the Russian Federation" and "their legalisation".

In accordance with Article 114.1 (g) of the Constitution the government of the Russian Federation is responsible for managing federal property.

That being the case, I am forced, in the present situation, to request that you personally instruct the Russian government (V.V. Putin) to inform the Prosecutor General's office (Yu.Ya. Chaika), the Investigative Committee (A.I. Bastrykin), the defence teams of Mr Khodorkovsky and myself, and also to inform you:

1. What federal agency of the Russian government, on the basis of which specific legal documents, entrusted myself and Mr Khodorkovsky with "38% of the share in VNK plc, belonging to the Russian government" and when did they do so?

2. When and in what manner we "stole by misappropriation" the "38% of the share in VNK plc, belonging to the Russian government" that had been entrusted to us?

If my assertions find confirmation, of which I have no doubt, then I would ask you to set in motion the resignation of all those responsible for committing the aforementioned abuses and the bringing of criminal charges against them. (It is, of course, within your powers to pardon them.)

The present appeal is being forwarded to you by my defence attorneys.

Yours faithfully

Platon Lebedev