MOSCOW, December 5 (Itar-Tass) — The appeals board of the Moscow City Court on Wednesday upheld the arrest of chief accountant of Security and Communications private company Yulia Rotanova, accused within the so-called "Slavyanka case" over a 53-million-rouble fraud during the execution of a state contract for the Defense Ministry.
The court thereby turned down the appeal by the defendant's lawyer.
Rotanova's lawyers insisted that there were no facts to prove their client's intention to escape the investigators or put pressure on witnesses. They also drew the court’s attention to the defendant's positive references and her impeccable reputation.
The appeal questioned Rotanova's knowing the criminal plans of her superior Yelkin, and characterized all the activity by the defendants in the case as "entrepreneurship."
"The crime was committed in the sphere of entrepreneurial activity, so the custody ban for suspects should apply," Rotanova's defense said.
Rotanova was watching the hearing via a video link from remand prison. Barely holding back her tears, she asked the court to put her under house arrest, or grant bail on collateral of her Moscow apartment.
"I support the lawyers' argument, I have a wonderful family, I suffer from a number of chronic illnesses, I've never planned to flee, I cooperate with the investigators and testify in good faith for the sake of ascertaining the truth," she stated.
For his part, the representative of the military prosecutor’s office called the resolution by a court of original jurisdiction to put Rotanova in custody "legal and justified."
It was ascertained during preliminary investigation that Yelkin and Rotanova, knowing about the non-execution of a state contract, submitted fictitious certificates of works to a Defense Ministry department, under which the Ministry remitted money, which caused a 52-million-rouble damage," the prosecutor said.
She also drew the court's attention to the investigator’s information about Rotanova's attempt, at Yelkin's instruction, to destroy the documents proving the commission of crime.
"More than four million U.S. dollars and 130 million roubles were found in the bank cells registered to Yelkin and Rotanova; this sum considerably exceeds the defendant's incomes in this case," the prosecutor said.
After the resolution was announced, judges explained to Rotanova that she could lodge an appeal.
Three persons have been arrested in the case. Aside from Rotanova, Slavyanka director general and founder of the Security and Communications company Alexander Yelkin, as well as incumbent Security and Communications company director Andrei Luganisky are in custody.
Earlier, the Moscow City court refused to free Yelkin on a 20-million-rouble bail.
In December 2010, the Defense Ministry and the Security and Communications company signed a contract of services to maintain buildings and structures belonging to the Ministry. Under the contract, the commercial organization pledged to maintain the service lines and clean the rooms inside the buildings and the adjacent area.
Among the facilities due for maintenance was a building at the address Kolymazhny Lane, House 14. Another state contract envisioned its renovation with major overhaul of all service lines in the period from February 2011 through July 2012.
Although no maintenance works were carried out within the designated period, officials of the Defence Ministry, Slavyanka and Security and Communications signed fictitious acts of completed works and the bills, in accordance with which business persons illegally drew 52.6 million roubles of income...