MOSCOW, April 12 (RAPSI) – A prosecutor has demanded a 7-year imprisonment for prominent Armenian businessman Levon Airapetyan who stands charged with stealing $700,000 from the mother of former Bashkortostan senator Igor Izmestyev who was sentenced to life for terrorism, RAPSI reported on Tuesday from Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky District Court.

The prosecutor also asked the court to collect from the businessman 20.8 million rubles ($310,000) in damages in favor of the injured party.

Investigators believe that the businessman has misled the woman by promising a reduced sentence for her son. In practice, he could not influence the judgment.

Airapetyan’s guilt has been proven by testimony of witnesses and victims as well as by talks conducted by attorney Sergei Antonov who allegedly was Airapetyan’s intermediary agent in this crime, according to prosecution.

The maximum penalty for such crime is 10 years in prison.

Airapetyan has pleaded not guilty. According to his lawyer, the case has been framed up.

Airapetyan also stands charged with involvement in an embezzlement case under which Ural Rakhimov, son of the former head of Bashkortostan Murtaza Rakhimov, sold Bashneft, a midsized oil company he headed for three years, to the oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Sistema in 2009 at a huge “discount” of $500 million.

Airapetyan holds dual citizenship, has assets abroad and was until recently living in Monaco. Prosecutors presented this information as grounds for arrest. In early October 2014, Airapetyan was placed under house arrest. His defense attorney asked the court to release him, citing health problems.