Khodorkovsky associate, on trial for fraud, flees

[maddezmom]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - An associate of jailed Russian billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky slipped away from his police guard and escaped while on trial for fraud, Russia's chief prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The Kommersant newspaper, quoting testimony from police who had been guarding Antonio Valdes Garcia at his apartment in Moscow, reported that he had managed to lock them inside and then disappeared.

"He has indeed gone missing," Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika told journalists. "Criminal proceedings have been launched against police officials who were in charge of guarding him and Valdes Garcia has been put on the wanted list."

Chaika also announced that new charges would soon be brought against Khodorkovsky and a business partner.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070116/wl_nm/russia_yukos_escape_dc_2

[acmavm]

1. Russian billionaires sure have it a lot differently than they do

here.

They could kill a kid in broad daylight on mainstreet with a .357 magnum and here it would end up being the kid's fault.

In Russia, just being rich seems to be kind of risky.

[Eugene]

2. It's okay to be a Russian billionaire. Just don't cross Putin.

Vladamir Putin's enemies have been dropping like flies lately.