Khodorkovsky verdict is postponed

Prosecutors want Mr Khodorkovsky to get 10 years in jail if found guilty

The verdict in the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former chief of Russian oil firm Yukos, has been postponed until 16 May.

The judge had been expected to give her verdict on Wednesday, but a notice put up in the Moscow court announced that her judgement was being delayed.

"There will not be a court hearing today [Wednesday]," said a court security official.

Mr Khodorkovsky is accused of multiple charges of fraud and tax evasion.

He could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty.

There was no immediate explanation for the postponement.

'Punishment'

Mr Khodorkovsky, 41, has always protested his innocence, and most analysts say the trial is politically motivated.

Platon Lebedev is also being tried

They claim he is being punished by the Kremlin for his political ambition. Before he was arrested in October 2003, Mr Khodorkovsky had begun to fund opposition political parties.

The charges against Mr Khodorkovsky included theft of someone else's property by fraud, causing property damage by fraud, tax evasion and insurance theft involving large amounts, embezzlement and forgery of official documents.

Since his time behind bars, Russian authorities have all but brought Yukos to its knees.

In December of last year they forcibly sold off Yukos' former main oil producing unit Yuganskneftegas (Yugansk), after Yukos could not pay a giant $27.5bn (£15bn) back-tax bill.

Russian state oil firm Rosneft was the eventual purchaser of Yugansk, which it bought for $9.4bn.

Mixed views

The charges against Mr Khodorkovsky relate to the privatisation of Apatit, a fertiliser firm, in the 1990s.

He is standing trial alongside former colleague Platon Lebedev, who also protests his innocence. The case has taken 10 months.

Analysts are divided on whether Mr Khodorkovsky will be found guilty.

Some said that Monday's state-of-the-nation address by Russian President Vladimir Putin contained some softening comments and hinted that jail was not the only route for Mr Khodorkovsky.

They say that Moscow may release him, so as to appease Western firms and governments concerned at what they see as greater interference by Moscow in Russian business.

Yet other analysts are convinced that Mr Khodorkovsky will stay behind bars at least until after the presidential elections in 2008.