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Moscow court arrests well-known lawyer in absentia for divulgence of state secret

Kuznetsov says he is ready to cooperate with investigators but has no intention to return to Russia from the United States

MOSCOW, July 8 (Itar-Tass) - The court of Moscow’s Presnya district on Monday arrested a well-known lawyer, Boris Kuznetsov, in absentia suspected of divulgence of state secret.

Kuznetsov had already been arrested in absentia some time ago. However, that court ruling was later reversed because of formal violations made during its preparation.

Kuznetsov has publicly denied his guilt. He says he is ready to cooperate with investigators but has no intention to return to Russia from the United States.

Criminal proceedings against Kuznetsov were initiated in July 2007 when he was representing the interests of the ex-senator of Kalmykiya, Levon Chakhmakhchyan.

Investigators accused Kuznetsov of making a photo of a top secret Federal Security Service file in which it was said that Chakhmakhchyan’s telephone conversations had been tapped. He then handed the photo over to the Russian Constitutional Court where it was seen by employees who had no access to state secret. Kuznetsov left for the United States which had granted him political asylum without hearing the charges against him.

In 1962-1982, lawyer Boris Kuznetsov served in Soviet criminal investigation bodies and took part in investigations of several high-profile cases. In 1990, he founded a law firm called “Boris Kuznetsov and Partners”. Kuznetsov conducted several high-profile cases. He represented the interests of Oleg Kalugin, the former general of the State Security Committee of the USSR; Vladimir Shumeiko, the former deputy prime minister of the Russian government, the Russian community of Sevastopol and the aggrieved party in the Kursk nuclear submarine case.