Boris found guilty of embezzlement

The exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky has another reason not to go home to Russia - he has been sentenced to six years in absentia on charges of embezzling more than £4m from the national airline, Aeroflot. The prosecution claimed that Berezovsky, who controlled the airline in the post-Soviet 1990s, was a member of an "organised criminal group" that stole Aeroflot's foreign currency earnings.

Berezovsky did not contest the charges, claiming they were trumped up by the Kremlin. He said he "didn't give a damn" about the trial and barred his lawyers from defending him.

Berezovsky was granted asylum by Britain in 2003 after his friend Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian intelligence agent, claimed the Kremlin had ordered his murder, believing her had defrauded a regional government of $13m by stealing cars. Since Litvinenko's murder in London, he has become an even more vociferous critic of President Vladimir Putin.

The Russians are expected to demand his extradition following yesterday's court finding. But the tycoon is banking on Britain refusing - as they have done twice before. ·