Sergey Ponomarev / AP

Mikhail Khodorkovsky stands behind bars at a court room in Moscow, Monday, Dec. 27, 2010. A Russian judge delivered the verdict in the second trial of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man who is serving an eight-year sentence in a case widely seen as punishment for challenging the Kremlin and is now facing several more years in prison if convicted.

Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky again found guilty

The subtle reflections of the courtroom make a fascinating portrait of one of Russia's most famous oligarchs. The Khodorkovsky case offers a rare glimpse into the Russian justice system, as AP reports today:

Khodorkovsky's arrest in October 2003 and the subsequent state takeover of his Yukos oil company allowed the government to reassert control over the energy sector and tamed other wealthy businessmen, who have obediently followed Kremlin orders ever since. The Kremlin also consolidated its hold over political life. Soon after Khodorkovsky's arrest, parties that he had funded were shut out of parliament or sidelined.

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