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No investigation against Rostelecom is conducted, just against concrete citizens, Interior Ministry claims

Provotorov and Malofeyev are suspects under an investigation into seven criminal cases

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, November 20 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Interior Ministry has declared that it is conducting no investigation against the Rostelecom company directly.

The Russian Interior Ministry has been conducting an investigation against concrete citizens on the matter connected with allegedly illegal appropriation of credit funds from one of the bank structures, the press service of the Interior Ministry said.

The apartments of Rostelecom Chief Alexander Provotorov and a shareholder of the company, Konstantin Malofeyev, were searched in the framework of an investigation into criminal cases opened earlier, a source close to the investigation told Itar-Tass. Both Provotorov and Malofeyev are suspects under an investigation into seven criminal cases conducted by the Investigative Department of the Russian Interior Ministry. The investigative activities were conducted in the place of residents of both suspects, the source said.

Neither law enforcers nor Rostelecom representatives commented on the incident. Earlier, Kommersant newspaper said on its website that the apartments were searched in the framework of an investigation into illegal appropriation of more than 200 million dollars from VTB bank.

Malofeyev is the biggest shareholder of the Rostelcom company. Last year the London court arrested Malofeyev's assets, including ten percent of Rostelecom shares, on a lawsuit filed by VTB capital plc.

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