A Moscow court today rejected an appeal by detained oil tycoon Mr Mikhail Khodorkovsky
to be freed on bail pending trial.
"Upon consideration of the reasons presented by lawyers . . . for changing the measures of confinement to some form other than incarceration, the court has ruled to leave the decision of the Basmanny district court unchanged," the judge said.
The Basmanny court ruled in December that Mr Khodorkovsky, former chief executive of oil giant YUKOS, should be held in jail at least until March 25th on charges of fraud and tax evasion.