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Investigators charging businessman Baturin with fraud - lawyer

The investigator is to bring official charges against Viktor Baturin
Photo ЕРА/ITAR-TASS
Photo ЕРА/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, November 29 (Itar-Tass) — The investigator is to bring official charges against Viktor Baturin, detained on Monday within the probe into a new criminal case over attempted fraud involving promissory notes of the Inteko company. Baturin is brother of former Moscow mayor’s wife.

"We're now entering the investigator's office for hearing the charges against my client," Baturin's lawyer Igor Shabanov told Itar-Tass.

"Baturin is expected to be charged under Article 30 Part 3, and Article 159, Part 4 of Russia's Criminal Code (attempted fraud). The procedure might take several hours, whereupon the businessman has to be questioned as a suspect. The investigator then will consider the measure of restraint for him.

In Shabanov's opinion, Baturin might be released on recognizance. "His outstanding conviction has no significance and is not taken into account in the decision on the measure of restraint, so given the fact that he is suspected of economic crime, i.e. attempted fraud, I'm hoping he will be released on recognizance," the lawyer said.

Baturin denies his guilt.

The case is handled by the Interior Ministry's main investigation department for Moscow.

In June 2011, Moscow's Presnya court gave Baturin a three-year suspended sentence for real estate fraud.

The entrepreneur did not challenge the decision acknowledging that the verdict did not evoke any special emotions in him.

"A verdict is a verdict; a severe reprimand on record; nothing to worry about," he said then.

He expressed the opinion that the case against him had been doctored and that it was connected to Yuri Luzhkov's resignation and Yelena Baturina's financial dispute. He did not rule out new criminal cases against him.