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Key witness in Rosagroleasing case put on wanted list

After the opening of the case Tsvetkov went to Thailand and from there was sending written testimony to the investigator

MOSCOW, June 7 (Itar-Tass) - Charges have been brought against CEO of Voronezh-based Vita company Sergei Tsvetkov, a witness in the case of embezzlement of 1.1 billion roubles from Rosagroleasing. He has been put on the federal wanted list, lawyer Alexei Khorolsky told Itar-Tass on Friday.

The lawyer told Itar-Tass earlier that Tsvetkov was ready to cooperate with the investigation on the condition of maintaining the witness status. After the opening of the case Tsvetkov went to Thailand and from there was sending written testimony to the investigator.

“Now the investigation is trying to scare us, applying arm twisting and saying that ‘you will be playing on our conditions!’ Tsvetkov wants to return to Russia, he is willing to give evidence and make a deal with the investigation, but at this point there should be mutual understanding on both sides,” lawyer Khorolsky said.

According to the version of the detectives, the embezzlement of the monetary funds from the Russian agrarian leasing company Rosagroleasing was committed by an organised criminal group headed by former Agriculture Minister Alexei Bazhanov in 2008-2009 through the conclusion of false leasing contracts for the delivery of the equipment for the production of refined sunflower oil to the under-controlled agrarian enterprises. The law enforcement agencies believe that the budgetary funds were transferred to the accounts of the affiliated organisations, including CJSC Group of Companies Masloprodukt and were cashed.

The court has earlier put under arrest Bazhanov and two other figurants in the criminal case - top manager of CJSC Masloprodukt Roman Malov and Director General of Masloprodukt-BIO Sergei Dudenkov.

Lawyer Khorolsky believes that Tsvetkov occupied the post of the head of the Vita limited liability company falsely and was not involved in the embezzlement. “Tsvetkov was the head of the security service at the grain elevator, he was offered to head the company falsely, and he agreed in most cases not understanding and not reading those documents, which were brought to him for signing,” the lawyer remarked.

The lawyer noted that Tsvetkov was acquainted with Bazhanov, however, he was maintaining direct contacts with Malov and other “Moscow lawyers”. “Tsvetkov was not a profit-maker in this scheme, he ran a business negligently, but did not participate in the embezzlement,” Khorolsky stated.

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