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Wife of ex-Moscow mayor Yelena Baturina questioned by investigators

The investigators intended to specify certain information on the case of embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow

MOSCOW, June 28 (Itar-Tass) — The Investigative department of the Russian Interior Ministry has questioned Yelena Baturina - wife of ex-Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, about embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow.

The investigators intended to specify certain information on the case of embezzlement in the Bank of Moscow, the press service of the Russian Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass. Baturina was questioned rather in the form of a conversation, the source said. Baturina arrived at the Investigative Committee at 10. 30 am Thursday.

Lawyer for Yelena Baturina Alexander Asnis told Itar-Tass that Baturina had answered all the questions put by the investigators who declared that her answers were "exhaustive". The SK does not intend to question Baturina anymore; Yelena Baturina intends to leave Russia soon, the lawyer said.

The ex-president of Bank of Moscow Andrei Borodin and its former first vice-president Dmitry Akulinin are the chief suspects in the case of heavy embezzlement at the Bank of Moscow. The investigation implicated them in several episodes when money was embezzled by means of intricate fraud scheming. Mrs. Baturina was questioned in the framework of a criminal case opened into embezzlement of 12.5 million roubles blamed on Borodin and Akulinin, who presumably embezzled the money with the assistance of President of Kuznetsky Most Development company Boris Shemyakin and Director of Premier Estate company Svetlana Timonina.

Afterwards, the money settled on bank accounts of Inteko company headed by Yelena Baturina then. Her husband, ex-Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, was several times interrogated by the Investigative department of the Russian Interior Ministry. Inteko company has changed its owner since.

Earlier, the SK had declared that if Baturina did not turn up to testify as a witness, the investigation might take exhaustive measures and go as far as using Interpol to conduct the necessary investigation with Baturina's participation.