Yukos Lawyers Appeal, Interior Ministry Search

Russia's Interior Ministry yesterday carried out new searches at the office of embattled Yukos oil company.
Meanwhile, the court adjourned hearings on an appeal from lawyers of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, contesting the freezing of his Swiss bank accounts.
The searches were part of an ongoing official probe into tax payments by several Yukos operating subsidiaries and refineries. Last week, government agencies renewed their campaign against the company when the Tax Ministry went to court to demand that Yukos pay $3.5 billion in back taxes and fines.
On Thursday, the Moscow City Court was set to consider an appeal from Khodorkovsky's lawyers, who demanded the repeal of a lower court's verdict sanctioning the freezing of Swiss bank accounts that belonged to Khodorkovsky and 19 associates.