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Charges of property embezzlement issued to Russia’s opposition blogger

The fact means a redefinition of charges against Navalny

MOSCOW, July 31 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s Investigations Committee has issued charges with embezzling the property of the Kirovles forestry company to the oppositionist blogger Alexei Navalny and has demanded that he provide recognizance not to leave the place, Vladimir Markin, the official spokesman for the committee told Itar-Tass.

The fact means a redefinition of charges against Navalny, who was previously accused of “infliction of proprietary damage through deceit or manipulation with second party’s trust.“

“Investigators believe that Alexei Navalny stood behind the embezzlement of property of the Kirov regional state unitary enterprise Kirovles when he was a pro-bono advisor to the Kirov region governor,” Markin said.

For effectuating his plans, Navalny reportedly colluded with the Director General of the Vyatka Forestry Company, Pyotr Ofitserov, and the Kirovles Director General, Vyacheslav Opalev.

Investigators believe that more than 10,000 cu m of wood belonging to Kirovles have been embezzled and the Kirov region’s budget suffered a loss of more than 16 million rubles /U.S. $ 1=RUB 32.4 , the Investigations Committee said.