The trial in absentia on charges of embezzling shares in respect of the former Yukos shareholder Leonid Nevzlin who has already received a life sentence for the organization of the murders, will begin on July 30, Moscow Simonovsky District Court spokesman Oleg Shassaev said to RAPSI Agency on Tuesday. According to him, a trial in absentia does not provide for preliminary hearings, so, in late July, the court immediately proceeds to consideration of the criminal case on the merits.

According to the investigation, in 1998, Nevzlin misappropriated 38 % of the shares in Tomskneft, VNK, Achinsky Refinery, and other companies as part of an organized crime group. The shares were then contributed to the VNK (Eastern Oil Company) charter capital. The shares were worth more than 3 billion rubles ($93.03 million). Major Yukos shareholders Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and Yukos EP Executive Manager Ramil Burganov were earlier convicted in the case. Nevzlin has been living in Israel for the last few years. Russia has announced him to the international wanted list. Previously, he received a life sentence in absentia for organizing murders and attempted murders, including the ones on manager of East Petroleum Handelsgez company Evgeny Rybin, Head of Public Relations department of Moscow Mayor Olga Kostina and Rosprom business manager Viktor Kolesov.

In addition, in 2004, Nevzlin was charged in absentia with committing a series of economic and tax crimes in 1999-2000. In particular, he was accused of tax evasion and embezzlement. According to the investigation, the damage from tax evasion exceeded 26 million rubles, and from misappropriation - 30 million dollars.
In 2003, Nevzlin served as rector of the Russian State Humanitarian University. The same year, he left for Israel when the YUKOS case opened. In Israel, he received citizenship.