MOSCOW, April 24 (RAPSI) – Investigators have filed a motion to detain two new defendants in a criminal case against suspended senator Rauf Arashukov and his father until June 23, the spokesperson of Moscow’s Basmanny District Court Yunona Tsareva has told RAPSI.

The arrested men are ex-first deputy chief of the Investigative Committee’s Karachay-Cherkessia investigation directorate Kazbek Bulatov and regional high-ranking police officer Timur Betuganov,

Moreover, on Wednesday, the court will hear a petition for detention of Andrey Filippov, one more Karachay-Cherkessia’s high-ranking investigator involved in the case.

The three defendants are charged with abuse of office resulted in grave consequences.

Rauf Arashukov was arrested and detained in late January. The upper house of parliament stripped him of immunity and gave consent to his prosecution upon an application by the Prosecutor General. He stands charged with murder, participation in a gang and witness tampering. In March, the court suspended Arashukov from the exercise of his duties in the Federation Council.

According to investigators, the Federation Council member 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 has pleaded not guilty.

Arashukov’s father is also a defendant in the 30-billion-ruble natural gas embezzlement case ($455 million). He was detained on February 1.

The court also 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 jail for the same term.

According to investigation, all of them are involved in gas embezzlement from Gazprom company. The top managers have been allegedly stealing gas from the state-run energy giant over a period of several years.

Raul Arashukov pleads not guilty and calls the case against him fabricated.