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Yevgeniya Vasilyeva dismisses accusations in Oboronservis case

The court extended until March 23 the term of home arrest for former head of the department of proprietary relations of the Russian Defence Ministry
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, January 18 (Itar-Tass) — The Khamovnichesky District Court of Moscow extended until March 23 the term of home arrest for former head of the department of proprietary relations of the Russian Defence Ministry Yevgeniya Vasilyeva, who is a defendant in the Oboronservis property misappropriation case.

In her speech Vasilyeva refused to plead guilty. “I do not plead guilty, I find a request of the investigators to extend the term of home arrest for me groundless and I ask to turn it down. This is all,” the defendant said in reply to the question of the judge.

Judge Marina Syrova believe that Vasilyeva’s guilt will be considered at the merit court proceedings and satisfied a request of the investigators to keep her under home arrest until March 23. The terms of her keeping in home arrest were not changed.

The former head of the proprietary department in the Defence Ministry in the gray fur coat, fawn-coloured jacket and petticoat and brown high boots turned up in the Khamovnichesky District Court of Moscow through the backdoor convoyed by three police commandoes on Friday morning. The bailiffs brought her to the courtroom, where the defendant took a seat for the public.

In an interval of the court session she denied a request of a photographer to take pictures of her. “If something depends from my position, I certainly oppose any photos of me,” Vasilyeva said.

At the court session the detective dwelt on the essence of the criminal case to the court, noting that the defendant misused her powers and misled the officials of the Defence Ministry as a member of an organized criminal group in order to misappropriate major funds. However, the detectives will have to do a large amount of work, including the interrogation of the officials of the Defence Ministry and the exposure of all participants in the criminal group. Meanwhile, the detective did not specify whether new detentions are planned to make in the property misappropriation case in the Defence Ministry and what status new possible defendants will have.

To substantiate his request to extend to the term of home arrest for Vasilyeva the detective noted that she was found guilty of the attempts to destroy the evidence in the criminal case and continues to keep in touch with her former colleagues for this criminal purpose. “In case of a measure of restraint not related with the deprivation of freedom for Vasilyeva she may escape justice and obstruct the investigation,” a representative of the Investigation Committee explained to the court.

The representative from the military prosecutor’s office supported the extension of the term of home arrest to the former head of the Defence Ministry’s department, noting the lawfulness and sound grounds for the actions of the investigation, as well as major damages to the Russian budget from the investigated crimes. “There are no obstacles for keeping Vasilyeva under home arrest, and the fact that Vasilyeva is accused of three heinous crimes, permits me to ask for the extension of the term of home arrest for her,” the prosecutor said.