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Police prevent Moscow building hostile takeover

Fraudsters had planned to alienate federal property through a scheme that envisioned a fictitious debt of Serviselectronpoligraf and its subsequent bankruptcy procedure

MOSCOW, August 29 (Itar-Tass) — The Interior Ministry prevented the hostile takeover of property in central Moscow, which is an object of cultural heritage.

"The price of the building in federal ownership exceeds 200 million roubles," the Interior Ministry's press service told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

The property is a land plot and the Serviselektronpoligraf building. Executives of this company, one executive of the Ostankino television center, and senior officials of commercial bodies of Moscow and St Petersburg are suspected of wrongdoing," police said.

It was ascertained that the fraudsters had planned to alienate federal property through a scheme that envisioned a fictitious debt of Serviselectronpoligraf and its subsequent bankruptcy procedure.

"To this end, they carried out a transaction in which the company allegedly received 65 promissory notes worth 160 million roubles, but the money was never remitted. The contractor organization registered in St Petersburg was controlled by the suspects.

Criminal proceedings were opened over fraud.

Police are now searching the suspects' offices and apartments in Moscow and St Petersburg.