MOSCOW, September 15 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) – The Moscow City Court has extended detention of five defendants who are charged with corruption in relation to criminal case against Vyacheslav Gaizer, former head of Russia’s Komi Republic, RAPSI learned in the court on Thursday.

Nineteen people are defendants in the case, including Gaizer’s deputy Alexei Chernov, Igor Kovzel, Chairman of the Republican State Council, and Konstantin Romadanov, Deputy Chairman of the Komi government. This August one of the people related to the case, Anton Faerstein, died in detention.

Detention of entrepreneur Vladimir Malyarov has been extended until December 19. Romadanov, as well as entrepreneurs Mikhail Khruzin, Igor Kudinov and Valeriy Veselov will remain in jail until December 20.

On Wednesday detention of Gaizer himself has been extended until December 19.

Gaizer was charged in relation to two counts of bribery and one count of fraud. Earlier, various media have reported that Gazier made a deal with investigators, but his lawyer does not confirm this information.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported about thwarting the activity of a criminal group led by the head of the Republic of Komi, Vyacheslav Gaizer.

Gaizer pleads not guilty. Several high-ranking officials have been arrested in the fraud and organized crime case, as well as several business people that the Investigative Committee called “finance technologists.”

During 80 searches in Komi, St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Investigative Committee and the Federal Security Service confiscated over 60 kg of jewelry, 150 watches worth $30,000 to $1 million each, over 50 stamps and seals from offshore corporations, and financial documents legalizing over 1 billion rubles ($14 mln) in stolen money transferred to the offshore zone.

Investigators have also opened a criminal case on money laundering against Gaizer.

On September 30 of 2015, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to relieve Gaizer of his duties because of loss of trust.