KAZAN, August 31 - RAPSI. The Tatarstan Supreme Court heard on Tuesday an appeal filed by Vladislav Semyonov, a former transportation regulatory agency official, who was arrested in the Bulgaria riverboat case. At the hearing, the court decided to keep Semyonov in detention, RIA Novosti reports.

According to investigators, the accused was responsible for pre-licensing inspections, and approved the readiness of the Bulgarias operating company for transporting passengers.

The Bulgaria, a double-decked riverboat built in Czechoslovakia in 1955, sank on July 10 on the Volga River three kilometers off the bank in Tatarstan. According to the Investigative Committee, the ship was carrying 201 passengers, of whom 122 died and 79 were rescued.