Khodorkovsky losses appeal in Moscow

MOSCOW, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- An appeals court in Moscow said a second round of convictions against the former head of Russian oil company Yukos should stand.

The Moscow City Court ruled that a lower court decision that upheld a conviction against Mikhail Khodorkovsky was valid, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

Khodorkovsky has maintained for years that the cases against him were politically motivated. The former executive, once among the richest men in Russia, funded opposition groups in Russia before charges against him were filed.

In the aftermath of his first trial, Yukos was dismantled and sold mostly to state-owned businesses.

Khodorkovsky's business partner Platon Lebedev has also maintained his innocence.

On Thursday, Moscow City Court Judge Yevgeniya Kolyshnitsyna said, "The decisions by the Preobrazhensky court concerning the appeals and complaints of the defendant are valid and well-grounded."

Khodorkovsky is not eligible for release until 2016. In May, his sentence was reduced by one year to 14 years by the Preobrazhensky District Court.