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Russia wants Luzhkov’s wife to testify in Bank of Moscow case

The investigation department of the Russian Ministry of Interior prepared a request to the Austrian authorities on summoning Baturina

MOSCOW, January 30 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Interior Ministry requested legal assistance from the Austrian competent authorities on summoning Yelena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of Moscow, for testifying as a witness in the case of embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow.

“The investigation department of the Russian Interior Ministry prepared a request to the Austrian competent authorities on summoning Yelena Baturina, (the wife of the former mayor of Moscow), as a witness in the case of embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow,” the department told Itar-Tass.

It stressed that Baturina has repeatedly been invited to give witness testimony under the procedure set by law - by official summons sent to the INTECO Company. These documents were sent on February 24, March 10 and April 8, 2011 - at that time the businesswoman was the owner of the company, the investigation department said.

“Due to the fact that the investigation bodies did not know Baturina’s whereabouts, based on Article 188 of the RF Criminal Procedure Code, the investigator has the right to send summons to the person’s place of work. The investigator received answers signed by the INTECO personnel policy department head Klimov, which said that information about the summons for an interrogation was “conveyed to Baturina by telephone,” but she is “outside Moscow” and cannot arrive at the appointed time to the investigation department to testify,” the department said.

In this connection, all Baturina’s statements that she had not received subpoenas for interrogation “issued according to all the laws and rules,” do not correspond to reality, the department’s press service stressed.

It recalled that on November 16, 2011, after Yuri Luzhkov was questioned within the same criminal case, the former Moscow mayor was handed another subpoena summoning his wife for questioning. The information was conveyed to Baturina, which was confirmed by Luzhkov himself, the department said.

“The above forms of Baturina’s summoning for interrogation comply with the requirements of the legislation in effect and were issued taking into account the fact that the investigation did not know the exact place of residence of Baturina, who was hiding her address. Therefore, the summons were sent to her workplace or conveyed through her husband. At present, the investigation department has an apostilled statement on Baturina’s location, which forms the basis for sending an official request to the competent authorities of this state in accordance with Article 456 of the RF Criminal Procedure Code,” the press service said, stressing that “despite repeated statements of willingness and interest in giving testimony in the case of embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow, Yelena Baturina has systematically evaded the interrogation.”