MOSCOW, July 16: Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky applied on Wednesday for parole in the hope that President Dmitry Medvedev might prove more liberal than his predecessor, his lawyer said.

“Khodorkovsky’s defence today in Chita asked that he be released on parole,” Yury Schmidt said, referring to the east Siberian town where Russia’s one-time richest man is serving an eight-year sentence for fraud.

Khodorkovsky, who says his imprisonment is politically motivated, is entitled to request parole as he has served over half of his sentence. He decided to apply in the hope that he would get a better hearing under newly inaugurated Medvedev than predecessor Vladimir Putin, Schmidt said.—AFP