KIROV, Russia, April 17 (UPI) -- A judge ruled Wednesday the trial for Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny will be delayed for a week as his lawyers familiarize themselves with the case.
Navalny, the man behind last year's mass protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, is charged with misappropriating state-owned timber worth $522,000 while he was an unpaid adviser to Kirov Gov. Nikita Belykh, a former opposition activist. If convicted, he could face 10 years in prison, RIA Novosti reported.
The activist's lawyers initially requested a month-long adjournment because they needed more time to study the case, The New York Times reported.
Outside court Wednesday, Navalny, 36, said he was innocent and called the charges against him "trumped up."
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Navalny has been accused in two other cases of fraud.
In December, the Russian Investigative Committee said he and his brother, Oleg Navalny, allegedly set up a shipping company and billed an unnamed trade company $1.8 million but only shipped $1 million worth of goods.
Later that month, the committee alleged Navalny embezzled $3.25 million from the Union of Right Forces in 2007.
Navalny denied both allegations, again hinting they were fabricated.
"Another criminal case against me. Investigation Committee, what are you doing? Enough," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Navalny's army of protesters has dwindled and his financial backers have distanced themselves in recent months, the Times reported.
"The majority of the elite or business elite, they are people with liberal views, but they are cowardly, they are simply afraid of everything, they are trembling all the time, so they will be quiet," Navalny said. "They are being quiet now. Man is weak. I am not blaming anyone, but man is weak."
