Chapter Minpromtorg Viktor Khristenko arrived on Tuesday in Khamovnichesky Moscow court to give testimony on the second criminal case against the former head of Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former head of the MFIs' MENATEP Platon Lebedev. But the highlight performance Khristenko journalists gathered less than the day before, when the court was chairman of Sberbank Herman Gref. But security measures in court nevertheless been strengthened. Plain-clothes officers prior to the hearing examined the courtroom and walked inside the building.
 At the hearing, Viktor Khristenko, in fact, repeated the feat Gref, told the court in the Yukos case, that does not know about the theft of petroleum, Mikhail Khodorkovsky .Chapter Minpromtorg Viktor Khristenko, who from 1999 to 2008 as deputy head of the government was responsible for the fuel and energy complex, said at the trial of the former head of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former head of MFO Menatep Platon Lebedev, that he knew nothing about the "millions" of stealing oil of the pipeline system."Physical theft of oil - an issue that was, and remains, it is done with tap-ins into the pipe, but the theft of millions of tons in the volume I do not know," - said Khristenko.The interrogation began, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Refined previous post and the competence of Mr Khristenko. Danilkin reminded the defendant that the questions should be "part of our business.""Why has the government over the years supported, approves of the existence of vertically integrated oil companies, including Yukos? Why was this necessary?" - Asked Khodorkovsky. - The term "support", maybe not quite correct, but just perfect that vertically integrated companies are part of the general business structures and are understandable tool for managing large economic structures. In fact, there is nothing extraordinary, nothing that may attract attention, including now. "- "I apologize for those questions that you may seem silly, but our business requires such matters ... Does this mean that the Government was aware of the economic desirability of combining in a single technological chain of oil companies on the stages of exploration to the petrol station, roughly speaking?". - "You have made a reservation to me in this case did not seem strange questions. I want to immediately make a reservation, I'm not familiar with the case, so it's difficult to judge whether a question for the court case, and I'm not as expert witnesses in court to himself start asking questions about the charges ... but if it goes to the heart of your question, the construction of the integrated structures of the technological principle to some extent, and is the most justifiable and sensible practice. Through technological principle of building structures - it is, was and remains norm for the construction of holdings.
"How the Government, those agencies that you managed, monitored the vertically integrated oil companies, in particular, Yukos in 1998-2003?" What did the antitrust authorities in matters of oil prices? "What is the balance of the assignment? What is the Inspectorate large taxpayers? " - Asked Khodorkovsky. - "Talk to a few hours. But when it comes to big, that the affairs of States in respect of a vertically integrated structure - to do exactly that prescribed by law. If we talk about my work in 1998-2004 at the White House as Deputy Prime Minister then in fact the focus of a vertically integrated structures have been mainly focused in terms of fiscal issues - to collect taxes. Everything else was to knit the attempt to "oprozrachit" activities do not violate the national interest. In these years was largely formed legislation on the control of the vertically-integrated structures. First of all, from a taxation standpoint.
The minister was summoned by the defense of the defendants. Earlier in the process made by the former head of Central Bank head Viktor Gerashchenko, former prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov, head of Sberbank Herman Gref.
We recall that Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev are accused of embezzling 350 million tons of oil in 1998-2003.
According to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, all of the evidence in favor of the defendants still will not help them win the case because "the customer" is the most powerful man in Russia - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
By the way, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, previously requested to call at trial and his - to give similar testimony. But the Court did not accede to this request. Exactly like the people, "Putin's team: Igor Sechena and other" power ", which always believed opponents of Yukos.
Protection "for"
Meanwhile, Khodorkovsky's defense appreciates the examination of witnesses at trial. "Overall, we reserved a positive view of what we heard from the distinguished Mr. Gref," - said Khodorkovsky's lawyer Konstantin Rivkin, - "First of all, we thank him for what he had come, because we have problems because of summons, sent by the court, people are not coming, but a man of this kind came to us. "
According to the lawyer, in fact the questions he was fully satisfied the interest of "less natural things that he might not remember, and as a man of cautious enough not assumed responsibility to provide any assessment or to recall what he can not remember . But most importantly, he confirmed the obvious thing: in relation to domestic prices could not apply the price of Rotterdam, Amsterdam and other things, and, as he said that if some company would start buying at such prices within Russia, it would have just went bankrupt, this thing is absolutely clear.
Second. Came, that he was a government official ever to none reported that supposedly had some kind of theft in giant Yukos, which are described in the indictment.
And the third. This is something that really was a problem of intra-corporate prices - the so-called transfer pricing, which was used. But the words of Mr. Gref, it follows that the problem was, but it was not illegal. And we are reminded that he wrote with Mr. Bukaeva headed by the Ministry of Taxes and Duties spravochku of which directly implies that this legal practices, it creates certain problems for the state of its individual institutions in the area of taxation, in the interests of minority shareholders, but Overall it all legally. "Once again I say that in principle we welcome that heard today from Mr. Gref" - summed up the lawyer Konstantin Rivkin.
'With regard to GCF. The important thing is that he confirmed that meetings with Khodorkovsky on this subject. He said there were at least three, if my memory serves me. This is totally erases the part of the prosecution, which states that Khodorkovsky and Lebedev that hiding something from someone ran, it was all completely legal, and he confirmed that he knew the words of Mr. Khodorkovsky on what is really a problem raider attack on the legal person, attempts to arrest their action, "- says the lawyer Konstantin Rivkin. According to him, plus he confirmed that in the end, these shares were returned and were then implemented by the State in the manner prescribed by law. "We also believe that, in general, his speech was positive for us. In addition, prosecutors gentlemen helped us very much, because those questions that asked, inter alia, the prosecutor Smirnov were absolutely in line with the position of defense. I thank him for it" - said Konstantin Rivkin.
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