Former head of Menatep Group Platon Lebedev, jailed to 13 years in prison for embezzlement of large sum of money from selling oil and money laundering, has appealed against the legal provision requiring convicts to plea guilty before asking for parole.

Lebedev appealed to the Constitution Court of the Russian Federation, demanding that certain articles of the Penitentiary Code be considered unconstitutional. According to the Article 175.1 of the Code, convicts can apply for parole after pleading guilty and covering damages, at least partially. Lebedev submitted request for parole, but a court rejected it, ruling that he had not pleaded guilty and had not covered the damages voluntary. Lebedev’s lawyers say that he has never pleaded guilty and that the demand for such a plea goes against his constitutional right not to testify against himself.

Earlier the court rejected a complaint against Platon Lebedev and Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s guilty verdict. Lebedev and Khodorkovsky were found guilty of embezzlement of money from selling 200 million tons of oil and tax evasion.

Lawyers of Lebedev said to Russian Mafia (rumafia.com) that they understood that even if the Constitution Court ruled in favour of Lebedev, a lower court might again reject his request.