Jail-time Transformation

Former head of oil giant Yukos and anti-Kremlin tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in a newspaper article published Monday that Russia's business barons should pay higher taxes and defended the legitimacy of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Khodorkovsky, who was jailed on fraud and tax evasion charges last October after openly defying Putin and financing opposition parties, said those like himself who amassed their fortunes in controversial 1990s privatizations had to repay part of it to the state. "To justify privatization in the eyes of the nation... you have to force big business to share with the people, probably by agreeing to the reform of mineral wealth taxation and other steps that are not very pleasant for major owners," he said in an article published in the Vedomosti business daily.

Khodorkovsky, who had accused Putin of authoritarian tendencies, also urged recognition of the legitimacy of the newly re-elected Russian president. The head of state "is not just an individual. The president is an institution, which guarantees the territorial integrity and stability of the country," the tycoon said.