MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) – The Moscow District Military Court has upheld detention of former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Vlad Novikov, who stands charged with taking a 5-million-ruble bribe (about $88,100), attorney Dagir Khasavov told RAPSI on Monday.

On June 6, the Moscow Garrison Military Court extended Novikov’s detention until July 6.

Earlier, investigators have registered a 10-million-ruble (about $176,300) civil lawsuit filed by a victim in this case, Turkish construction firm Esta Construction’s lawyer Valerian Kochergin. He seeks 5 million rubles ($77,000) in compensation for property damage and 5 million rubles in moral damages.

As previously reported, Novikov and Karen Krayukhin, an officer still in FSB service, have been arrested on suspicion of taking a bribe from the Turkish construction firm Esta Construction. Later, they have been charged with a large-scale fraud against foreign legal entity.

Investigators claim that Esta Construction has been fined over 37 million rubles ($570,000) for violation of migration legislation. The company’s lawyer in order to avoid payment of the fine asked the defendants for help in the termination of the case for 5 million rubles ($77,000).

Khasavov, however, told RAPSI that money was transferred from Kochergin to Krayukhin as return of a debt.

Esta Construction is a contracting company established by Bahattin Demirbilek in Moscow in 2006 and operating as a general contractor and project designer in international construction market, the firm’s website says.