The Russian Prosecutor-General’s office is determined to file fresh charges against the convicted former Yukos heads Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev.

‘They will face fresh grand-embezzlement and money-laundering charges in the near future’, said the Russian Chief Prosecutor on Tuesday.

‘An investigative group from the Prosecutor-General’s office is currently and extremely actively working on this process’, he went on

The Chief Prosecutor didn’t elaborate on any period within which the convicted men would be charged .

No charges were filed against ex-Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the course of Tuesday’s ongoing investigation in Chita’s pre-trial detention-centre, according to his Chita lawyer Semen Rosenberg.

(Interfax, 16.01.2006)