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Cambodia court releases on bail Russians arrested together with businessman Sergei Polonsky

Polonsky was not released yet

HANOI, March 14 (Itar-Tass) – The Municipal Court of the Cambodian city Sihanoukville released on bail Russian citizens Konstantin Baglai and Alexander Karachinsky, who were arrested together with Russian businessman Sergei Polonsky in late December 2012 on the accusations of violence against the Cambodian sailors, a source related to the settlement of the situation over the arrest of the Russian citizens told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

“The court ruled to release temporarily Baglai and Karachinsky. Polonsky was not released yet,” the source said.

The incident, which resulted in the arrest of the Russian businessman and his companions on the eve of the New Year, occurred on December 30, 2012, onboard the ship, which brought three Russians on the shore after a boat trip on the islands. The crew of six sailors stated that Polonsky and his companions in the state of drunkenness and threatening with the knives locked the sailors up in the hold, then made them jump in the sea and swim to the shore. The Russians rejected strongly these accusations and insist that only an insignificant conflict, which had emerged over the language barrier, took place between them and the sailors.

In the very beginning of the investigation the presumed injured parties from the actions of the Russians withdrew their lawsuits in exchange for the apologies offered to them and the monetary compensations paid to them for the moral damages. However, according to the local laws, the criminal case, which was opened against Polonsky and his companions, cannot be terminated automatically, because the court is to rule to terminate this criminal case after the court proceedings.