RUSSIA - Nov 30 - Putin Vows to Continue Oligarch Fight.

Speaking at the All-Russia Congress of Judges, Putin acknowledges authorities continue to be influenced by the so-called oligarchs, as the core unit of jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Yukos oil giant is being prepared for sale. He said: "Unfortunately it is still the case ... We are fighting this and will continue to fight this. Our task is to prevent this scenario from developing by democratic means and legal institutions". Putin also said more needs to be done to curb the judiciary, which many Russians perceive to be riddled with corruption, with court rulings handed down to the highest bidder. At the Congress, Putin suggested amendments to the law on judges, obliging them to disclose information on their earnings and property. (Russia's economy and politics were dominated in the 1990's by vastly powerful business tycoons, who used their financial resources to snuggle up to then president Boris Yeltsin's cash-strapped Kremlin. Since Putin came to power, the oligarchs' influence has diminished one-time Kremlin kingmaker Boris Berezovsky lives in self-imposed exile in London, while mogul Vladimir Gusinsky fled abroad after an aggressive probe into his media empire. Most recently, Putin clashed swords with oil baron Khodorkovsky, whose Yukos oil company is on the brink of collapse as its core unit Yuganskneftegaz is due to be sold next month against its crippling multibillion dollar tax bills. The Kremlin has cast the case against the company and its founder as a clampdown on shady business practices, but observers suggest Khodorkovsky, who is currently jailed on fraud and tax evasion charges, drew the Kremlin's ire by aggressive lobbying and funding of political parties in the run up to parliamentary elections in winter 2003).