MOSCOW, May 22 (RAPSI) - Businessman Alexander Sabadash, a former member of the Russian parliament’s upper house, has been charged with the attempted embezzlement of 1.8 billion rubles  ($52 million) in the form of VAT refund, official spokesman for the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin told journalists.

The investigation of the attempted embezzlement by the Arkhangelsk-based developer ES-Kontaktstroy began several years ago, Kommersant reported earlier. It was established that ES-Kontaktstroy was connected with the pulp producer Vyborg Cellulose, based in the Leningrad Region.

Sabadash, being the owner of Vyborg Cellulose, is suspected of organizing a fraudulent VAT refund scheme, as a result of which ES-Kontaktstroy, an obscure company that repaired Sabadash’s flat, planned to receive over 1.8 billion rubles of budgetary funds in 2010.

According to the statement, Sabadash has been detained upon the investigators’ motion. The investigation is continuing.