MOSCOW, December 22 – RAPSI. The Moscow City Court validated the arrest of entrepreneur Viktor Baturin on charges of fraud, the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI/rapsinews.com) reported from the court on Thursday.

Baturin, a co-founder of the Inteco development company and the brother of Russia's richest woman Yelena Baturina, has been charged with attempted fraud involving Inteco promissory note by the Tverskoy District Court in Moscow. Baturin had earlier been placed on probation for real estate fraud.

Baturin was detained at Inteco's office after coming there to cash a counterfeit 10.8 million ruble ($340,320) promissory note. The Inteco staff suspected the note was forged and called the police. Investigators charged Baturin the next day and sent the case to court.

Baturin has not admitted to the crime. According to him, he was arrested for producing a fake promissory note, but the note has already been paid.

Baturin asked to release him on 10.8 million ruble ($340,320) bail. But after spending more than 30 minutes in the consultation room the panel decided to dismiss the appeal and approved on his arrest.

A Moscow district court fined Baturin 300,000 rubles ($9,550) and gave him a three-year suspended sentence in June for fraud in selling premises in central Moscow.
Investigators opened another criminal case against Baturin on suspicion of 23 million ruble ($732,000) tax evasion in early December. But the businessman’s attorney told RAPSI that his client was not charged with tax evasion.