MOSCOW, June 27 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court on Thursday delivered a ruling extending detention of the former bankruptcy commissioner of several Russia’s Rosneft subsidiaries Oleg Smetanin charged with embezzling more than 300 million rubles ($4.5 million) until October 3, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

In November 2018, Smetanin filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He complained against continuous detention, placing in a metallic cage during court hearings, delay in consideration of appeals against extension of his detention and non-recognition of the fact that the charges are related to business activities, according to his lawyer Eduard Geraskin.

This March, it was revealed that the Justice Ministry of Russia came to a decision of amicable settlement of complaints lodged by Smetanin with the ECHR.

In December 2013, a court declared Rosneft subsidiary Nizhnevartovskneftegaz bankrupt with Smetanin being appointed as a temporary manager of the company. In 2014, a debt of 3.5 billion rubles ($53.3 million) was added to the company’s creditors demands list. Investigators believe the documents related to the debt have been forged.

According to investigators, Smetanin and other defendant in the case Sergey Bogdanov have forged some documents; as a result, a paper debt amounting to 3.2 billion rubles (about $ 50 million) has been registered with the Rosneft subsidiary. According to Russia’s Interior Ministry press-service, the defendants have used the forged documents to transfer 300 million rubles ($4.5 million) to the accounts of a dummy company. The money has been allegedly cashed out and stolen.

Smetanin has pleaded not guilty.