MOSCOW, February 1 (RAPSI) – A member of Russia’s Federation Council representing Karachay-Cherkess Republic Rauf Arashukov, who stands charged with murder, gang organization and witness tampering, has filed an appeal against his detention, the spokesperson of Moscow’s Basmanny District Court Yunona Tsareva has told RAPSI.
On January 30, the court denied a 10-million-ruble (over $150,000) bail to Arashukov and placed the senator in detention for two months.
Investigators claim that the member of parliament’s upper house 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.
Moreover, investigators believe that the senator is implicated to natural gas embezzlement from Gazprom company.
He pleads not guilty.
The senator 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.
