MOSCOW, November 14 (RAPSI) – Several top officials of the Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbass), located in the south of western Siberia, are suspected of stock extortion amounted to 1 billion rubles ($15.3 million), acting spokeswoman for Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko told journalists on Monday.

According to Petrenko, a criminal case has been launched against the head of the Investigative Committee’s regional Directorate Sergey Kalinkin, vice-governors of the region Aleksey Ivanov and Alexander Danilchenko and several other officials.

Investigators claim that the suspects extorted from the major shareholder of Kuzbass coal mine company Razrez Inskoy, Anton Tsygankov, 51 percent of his shares estimated at approximately 1 billion rubles.

Presently, searches are being conducted at the suspects’ apartment and offices, Petrenko said.