MOSCOW, September 20 - RAPSI. Former YUKOS head Mikhail Khodorkovsky's defense will not comment on the European Court of Human Rights' decision in YUKOS' appeal to recover $3.12 billion from Russia, his attorney Yuri Schmidt told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

The YUKOS case has been one of the most high profile in Russia in recent years.

In the early 2000s, the authorities accused the executives of YUKOS, then the country's largest oil company, of embezzlement and tax evasion.

YUKOS was later called a bankrupt and its assets were transferred to the state-run Rosneft. Many in the West believe the case against YUKOS was politically driven, but Moscow denies the charges.

YUKOS appealed to the Strasbourg court in 2004 against the Russian tax authorities for illegal property seizure. The court accepted the claim in 2009.

The European Court of Human Rights found that Russia violated a number of articles of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while hearing the companys lawsuits in commercial courts.

The court also found that YUKOS' property rights were violated.

However, the court found no hidden political motives.

The court did not recover the requested compensation from Russia, having stated that the parties have time to agree on the amount.