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Criminal case opened against MP on fraud charges

The criminal case was opened on three articles of the Russian Criminal Code – fraud, attempted fraud and obstruction of justice

MOSCOW, March 7 (Itar-Tass) – The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has launched a criminal case against State Duma deputy Oleg Mikheyev from the A Just Russia Party, Committee’s spokesman Vladimir Markin has told Itar-Tass. The criminal case was opened on three articles of the Russian Criminal Code – fraud, attempted fraud and obstruction of justice.

On February 19, the lower house satisfied an appeal of Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and agreed to strip Mikheyev of immunity as well as to open a criminal case against him. The decision was supported by 297 parliamentarians. Fifty-nine were against and four abstained.

Mikheyev is suspected of involvement in the takeover of 14 real estate facilities belonging to the Volgograd engine-making plant worth over 500 million roubles, and attempted theft of 2.1 billion roubles from Promsvyazbank. Also, the lawmaker is accused of obstructing justice.

Oleg Mikheyev claims that the transaction for 14 facilities of the Volgograd plant had been carried out “in accordance with all norms and requirements of law, as confirmed by 46 court rulings."

The lawmaker regards himself as an injured party in the case over the theft of 2.1 billion roubles from Promsvyazbank.

Speaking at Duma on Thursday, Mikheyev said accusations of the Prosecutor General’s Office “remain an absolutely unclear story” for him. According to him, commercial structures had deliberately misled the investigation, while “investigators began conscientiously deluding themselves”.

Terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall

Afghan Foreign Ministry condemns terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall outside Moscow

The ministry’s Spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said, that considers it a blatant violation of all human standards

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Kremlin vows legal action against US bill on seizing Russian assets

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Moscow slams NATO drills near Russian borders as inflammatory

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Beijing condemns US hypocrisy around Ukraine conflict

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Armenia’s decision on CSTO membership its sovereign choice — secretary general

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Canada allows Airbus to use Russian titanium despite sanctions — Reuters

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Oksana Markarova explained that $4 billion worth of weapons that was to be provided under the previous decisions still remained undersupplied

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Top Russian security official pledges continued push toward global justice

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Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

Andrey Babenko said that after a crash course in Britain he had been sent to the frontline near Liman

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Russia and friendly countries produce almost 90% of components for Aurus cars — NAMI

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Four women killed in Zaporozhye Region in Ukrainian drone attack

The local emergencies services stressed that the car was targeted deliberately

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Russia’s top brass reports destroying US-made Hawk air defense system in Ukraine operation

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Russia recovers black boxes from crashed Tu-22M3 bomber

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Russian children’s commissioner holds first face-to-face talks with Ukrainian counterparts

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US using human rights topics to shake political situation in Russia — embassy

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Ukrainian forces refuse to obey Commander-in-Chief Syrsky — CIA ex-analyst

Larry Johnson also noted that the Russian forces manage to advance recently despite the slush on the roads

Detained deputy defense minister suspected of taking grand bribe of over $10,000

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