MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) – Moscow’s Basmanny District Court has detained the father of senator Rauf Arashukov and CEO of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Raul Arashukov until March 30 as part of a case on embezzling natural gas worth 30 billion rubles ($455 million), RAPSI has reported from the courtroom.
Raul Arashukov pleads not guilty and calls the case against him fabricated.
Moreover, the court has placed branch manager of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol Guzer Khashukoyev, CEO of Gazprom Gazoraspredelenie Astrakhan and Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Astrakhan Ruslan Arashukov, first deputy CEO of Gazprom Gazoraspredelenie Stavropol Nikolay Romanov and CEO of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol Igor Travinov in detention for alleged involvement in gas embezzlement from Gazprom company.
Investigators claim that the top managers have been stealing gas from the state-run energy giant over a period of several years.
On Wednesday, the court put the Federation Council member representing Karachay-Cherkessia Republic Rauf Arashukov in detention for two months. He stands charged with murder, participation in a gang and witness tampering.
According to investigators, the senator was involved in the murder of a Karachay-Cherkessia public youth movement’s deputy chairman Aslan Zhukov and the republican president’s advisor Fral Shebzukhov in 2010.
He pleads not guilty.
Moreover, investigators believe that the senator is implicated to natural gas embezzlement from Gazprom company.
He was arrested in the Federation Council on January 30. The upper house of parliament stripped Arashukov of his immunity and gave consent to his prosecution upon an application by the Prosecutor General.
