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Imprisoned for a case of fraud which he claims to be completely innocent, the French banker Philippe Delpal was placed under house arrest by the Russian courts on Thursday 15 August. He will be able to prepare his defense and await his trial in his new Moscow apartment and finally to communicate with his relatives and lawyers.
With our correspondent in Moscow, Jean-Didier Revoin
A few days before the meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin in Brégançon, the Russian justice has made an unexpected turnaround. She decided to assign Philippe Delpal to residence, something he had been unsuccessfully asking for since his arrest last February.
He had even been denied at a hearing in early July when he had just bought an apartment in Moscow to demonstrate to the court that he did not intend to leave Russia until his trial.
Philippe Delpal, however, is not allowed to leave his house and can only talk directly with his family, his lawyers and investigators. He is still being sued in a fraud case involving an amount of 33 million euros he denounces.
► To read also: Case "Baring Vostok": the wife of Philippe Delpal evokes an empty file
From diplomatic sources, we know that Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron have mentioned several times the fate of the French banker. If it is possible to see a gesture before Monday's meeting between the two presidents, Philippe Delpal remains determined: " My life is in Moscow, running away is not an option, because it would mean recognizing that I am guilty " , he said at the hearing.