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Court clears former investigator of extortion charges

Moscow City Court handed down a not-guilty verdict for investigator for special cases Andrei Grivtsov and another two defendants in a 15-million-dollar extortion case

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow City Court on Wednesday handed down a not-guilty verdict for investigator for special cases Andrei Grivtsov and another two defendants in a 15-million-dollar extortion case.

On October 19, a panel of jurors unanimously cleared Grivtsov of the charges of attempted extortion and abetting a bribe. The jury said the fact of crime had not been proven.

Another two defendants - former police officer Sergei Khatsernov and Sergei Kirimov - have been acquitted, too.

The criminal case was opened in January 2010. Investigator Grivtsov, who was handling a hostile takeover case involving a Moscow-based company, demanded 15 million dollars through lawyer Ruslan Parkin from head of the Rosenregomash company director Vladimir Palikhata and lawyer Mikhail Vytnov, threatening to arraign them.

According to the investigators, Sergei Kirimov, who enjoyed Palikhata and Vytnov's trust, acted as intermediary, while head of the city department for combating extremism Sergei Khatsernov abetted the deal.

On January 14, 2010, reports said Kerimov was detained as he was retrieving eight million dollars from a bank cell, the first part of the bribe. The investigator was detained, too.

Ruslan Parkin is still at large.

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