On Monday, February 11, the Moscow City Court upheld the decision of the previous court on the arrest of Raul Arashukov, advisor to the general director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz.
“The decision of the Basmanny court of the capital, which chooses a preventive measure in the form of arrest, remains unchanged, appeals are dismissed,” Judge Natalia Nikishina rendered the verdict.
The court took the side of the representative of the UK, who said that the detention of Arashukov was a necessary condition for ensuring the interests of justice. According to the investigator, the suspect has significant financial and administrative resources that, in the event of his release, he can use to hide or put pressure on witnesses.
The suspect himself was not present in the courtroom and participated in the meeting by video link.
“We do not agree with the decision of the Moscow City Court,” lawyer Arashukova Sergey Shishov said after the meeting. “My client has not yet been charged, and the very suspicion on which he was arrested is deprived of any specificity. It turns out that my client is imputed to the entire imbalance of gas in the North Caucasus over the past 17 years. Based on what facts such a conclusion is made - it is not clear. ”
According to Shishov, the lack of specifics in the position of the investigation makes it impossible for lawyers to build their line of defense.
“Another question is a violation of the right to protect my client,” said the lawyer. “From the moment Raul Turkmenbievich was detained, we were deprived of the opportunity to visit him in the detention center (Lefortovo).”
Earlier on February 7, the Moscow City Court left in custody the son of the adviser to the general director of the gas company, Senator from the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Rauf Arashukov.
30 Billion Plunders
The first person arrested in the case of theft of natural gas was Raul Arashukov’s son - Senator from Karachay-Cherkessia Rauf. He was detained on the morning of January 30 right at a meeting of the Federation Council, which was attended by the head of the Investigation Committee Alexander Bastrykin and the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yury Chaika. The latter personally announced before the members of Sovfed a presentation on deprivation of a 32-year-old parliamentarian of immunity.
After the senators unanimously supported the presentation of the supervisory authority, Arashukov Jr. was removed from the meeting room.
Subsequently, he was arrested on suspicion of committing crimes under three articles of the Criminal Code: Part Three of Article 210 of the Criminal Code "Participation in a criminal community", part four of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Pressure on a witness", and part two of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Murder ".
According to investigators, Arashukov Jr., in addition to participating in the criminal gang created by his father, is also allegedly the customer of two murders that took place on the territory of the KCR in 2010.
The victims of these crimes were Aslan Zhukov, deputy chairman of the public youth movement “Adyghe-Khase” and adviser to the head of Karachay-Cherkessia, Fral Shebzukhov. At that time, the suspect headed the Khabezsky municipal district of the republic.
After a criminal case was opened against Rauf Arashukova, speaker of the upper house of parliament, Valentina Matvienko, announced a toughening procedure for checking candidates to the Federation Council. In an interview with journalists, she said that law enforcement officials had been involved in the development of these innovations.
At the same time, Matvienko stressed that the current composition of the upper house of parliament does not have people “with a dubious past or present”, and Arashukov himself had no prior convictions at the time of his arrival at the Federation Council.
On the same day, January 30, in St. Petersburg, the security forces came to the father of the senator. After the arrest, the adviser to the general director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz was taken to Moscow, where on January 31 the Basmanny court arrested him for two months.
According to the case file, the adviser to the director general of the gas company has been the head of a criminal group operating in the North Caucasus since 2002.
According to investigators, Arashukov Sr. promoted the promotion of his relatives to senior positions in the gas sector. Subsequently, his henchmen, using his official position, organized theft of fuel worth more than 30 billion rubles.
In addition to suspicion of creating a criminal community using his official position (part 3 of article 210 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation), investigators incriminate the actions of the energy corporation provided for by part 4 of article 159 of the criminal code of the RF “Fraud”.
Investigation continues
As part of the investigation into the theft of natural gas, the court arrested five more alleged members of the criminal group, including the general director of JSC Gazprom Gas Distribution Astrakhan and LLC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Astrakhan Ruslan Arashukov, First Deputy Director General of JSC Gazprom Gas Distribution Stavropol Nikolai Romanov and Director of the Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol LLC branch Guzer Khashukaev.
Two more persons involved in the case were announced on the federal wanted list - acting director of Buddenovskgazprombytservis JSC Uali Evgamukov and executive director of the branch of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Stavropol LLC in Nevinnomyssk Umar Kalmykov.
During the investigation of this criminal case, the security forces conducted more than 40 searches at addresses in 11 Russian cities. More than 200 investigators and operational staff were involved in these events. In addition, a number of persons involved in the case as witnesses were provided with state protection.
Currently, law enforcement officers continue activities aimed at establishing new criminal episodes committed by community members. In addition, the investigation does not preclude the emergence of new defendants in the case.