MOSCOW, January 24 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) - Russian pop star Filipp Kirkorov has turned to police seeking to open a libel case against lawyer Igor Trunov and French musician Didier Marouani, Trunov told RAPSI on Tuesday.
His interrogation in a police office has been scheduled for January 25, Trunov added.
In late November, Trunov said during a news conference that he had written a statement for the police demanding to open a criminal case against Kirkorov over false denunciation. A decision upon the motion has not been taken yet.
Marouani in turn announced that he is going to file claims with court against Kirkorov and his attorney Alexander Dobrovinsky, who, according to them, was an organizer of the provocation against him.
On November 29, Marouani and Trunov were arrested by police on suspicion of extorting € 1 million from Kirkorov.
According to lawyer Lyudmila Aivar, the wife of Trunov, the French musician and her husband were arrested in a bank where they were to conclude an amicable agreement with Kirkorov in a copyright dispute. She said that Kirkorov and his lawyer offered € 1 million to Marouani as part of the settlement.
Kirkorov reportedly said that there was no settlement out of court and Marouani extorted money from him.
Marouani, who first came to a concert tour in the Soviet Union in 1983, has accused Kirkorov of plagiarism. The 63-year old artist claims that the Russian singer’s song called "Cruel Love" contains melody he composed earlier. The French star filed lawsuits with Russian courts over copyright infringement but they were dismissed.