Khodorkovskii Gives Up Last Shares In Yukos

Mikhail Khordorkovskii (file photo) 12 January 2005 -- Jailed Russian business tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskii announced through his lawyer in Moscow today that he had transferred his last holdings in Group Menatep to a fellow shareholder.

The move is said to sever Khodorkovskii's last connection to the Yukos Oil company.

Khodorkovskii faces charges of fraud and tax evasion and his company, Yukos, once the largest producer of oil in Russia, has been largely renationalized.

Khodorkovskii's lawyer, Anton Drel, read a statement from his client that said "That's it. Period."

Drel said Khodorkovskii had transferred his shares in Menatep, an investment vehicle whose main asset is Yukos, to Menatep shareholder Leonid Nevzlin. Nevzlin is also wanted by Russian authorities. He has fled Russia.

(AFP/AP)