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Court to review fraud case against businessman Viktor Baturin, brother of former Moscow mayor's wife

According to the investigator, he presented a false promissory note of the INTEKO company. It was worth 10.8 million roubles, and Baturin demanded immediate payment

MOSCOW, January 10 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow's Gagarinsky court will review the case over promissory notes fraud against entrepreneur Viktor Baturin, the court's press service told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

"Two days ago, the Baturin case was passed by the Meshchansky court on the strength of jurisdiction. The date for the hearing has not been set yet," spokeswoman Marina Novozhilova said.

On November 30, 2011, the Tverskoi court sanctioned Baturin's arrest.

Baturin is brother of former Moscow mayor's wife.

According to the investigator, on November 28, 2011, he presented a false promissory note of the INTEKO company at its office in Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street, 28. It was worth 10.8 million roubles, and Baturin demanded immediate payment.

INTEKO personnel had misgivings regard ing the authenticity of the promissory note. They called police who detained Viktor Baturin.

"One can conclude from the defendant's testimony that he was aware that the security was not authentic. In addition, he stated he had signed this promissory note at direct order by INTEKO president, his sister Yelena Baturina, and that there were several such promissory notes in his office," the Interior Ministry reported then.

Baturin denied his guilt. "My client denies guilt of any fraud; he believes INTEKO vice-president Oleg Soloshchansky slandered him," Baturin's lawyer Igor Shabanov said.

The entrepreneur claimed it is impossible to forge a promissory note in principle, as only a single copy can be issued.

"I came to INTEKO to recover the debt with this promissory note. I'm an injured party who has been robbed," he said.

In June 2011, Moscow's Presnya court gave Baturin a three-year suspended sentence for real estate fraud.

The entrepreneur downplayed the ruling saying it did not evoke any special emotions in him.

"A verdict is a verdict; a severe reprimand on record; nothing to worry about," he said.

He expressed the opinion that the fraud case against him had been doctored and that it was connected to Yuri Luzhkov's resignation and Yelena Baturina's financial dispute. He did not rule out new criminal cases against him.

Earlier, investigators dropped a 23-millioin-rouble tax evasion case against Baturin due to the statute of limitation.

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