MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court has upheld the detention of former Rusnano (formerly Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies) financial director Svyatoslav Ponurov who stands charged with embezzlement of 220 million rubles ($3.15 million) from the state technology corporation, RAPSI reported from the court on Wednesday.

The defendant’s attorney said in a motion for his client’s release that Ponurov would not flee or attempt to tamper with witnesses.

The court previously ruled that another defendant in this case, former Rusnano chief Leonid Melamed, be held under house arrest.

Ponurov and Melamed have been charged with large-scale embezzlement of public funds under Part 4 of Article 160 of the Criminal Code.

Ponurov has denied the charges.

The Investigative Committee claims that Melamed illegally transferred 220 million rubles ($3.15 million) worth of budget funding, allotted to Rusnano in 2007-2009, to Alemar Co., which he controlled. Former top Rusnano manager Andrei Malyshev is also involved in the case.