Russian ex-tycoon Khodorkovsky in Switzerland, spokesman says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has arrived in Switzerland from Germany, where he had been staying since his release from a Russian jail, his spokesman said Sunday, Jan 5, according to RIA Novosti.

Spokesman Christian Hanne said Khodorkovsky will stay in Switzerland for at least several days, without giving further details. His three-month visa enables him to travel freely within the 26-nation Schengen area, he said.

Khodorkovsky was granted a visa to Switzerland, where his wife Inna lives and his twin sons go to school, on Dec 30. He applied for the visa four days after his release from a Russian prison and arrival in Germany.

A spokeswoman for Khodorkovsky said he was considering a possible move to the country, where he has business ties.

Germany, another Schengen state, had earlier granted Khodorkovsky a one-year visa allowing him to stay in that country.

Khodorkovsky, former head of the dismantled oil giant Yukos, was freed on Dec 20 by a presidential pardon after serving more than a decade in prison following his arrest on a Siberian runway in 2003 and two subsequent convictions for fraud, tax evasion and embezzlement.