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Kerimov charged with money laundering, tax evasion in France to be released on bail

Russian senator will not be able to leave the Alpes-Maritimes department of the Provence-Alpes-C·te d'Azur region of France until the investigation is over

Suleiman Kerimov Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Suleiman Kerimov

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

PARIS, November 23. /TASS/. French authorities have charged Russian senator Suleiman Kerimov with money laundering and tax evasion, Nice Prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre told TASS.

"Charges have been brought, I can confirm that," the prosecutor said.

At the same time, Pretre said that Kerimov would stay at large but would not be able to leave the Alpes-Maritimes department of the Provence-Alpes-C·te d'Azur region of France until the investigation was over.

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The Nice prosecutor added Kerimov would "have to hand his passport over to the police, pay a bail of five million euros and cut off his contacts with individuals included in a list that we cannot make public."

Member of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Suleiman Kerimov was detained by the French police at Nice airport overnight into Tuesday. On Tuesday, Moscow informed Paris that as a senator, he had diplomatic immunity.

On Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry said that Kerimov’s diplomatic immunity was applicable only to his official powers. According to French Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne, a decision concerning Kerimov’s diplomatic immunity will be taken by the French judge who is handling his case.

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