Chubais came to Investigations Committee on own initiative to explain his position on Melamed case - Rusnano
MOSCOW. July 10 (Interfax) - Rusnano CEO Anatoly Chubais was not officially summoned to the Investigations Committee, but came there on his own initiative, Alexander Barkhatov, director of corporate communications at Rusnano, told Interfax on Friday.
"The Investigations Committee did not officially summon Anatoly Chubais for questioning. The Rusnano CEO came to the Investigations Committee on his own initiative to explain his position on the case opened against some former Rusnano employees," Barkhatov said.
Barkhatov also said Chubais "is neither an accused nor a witness in the case."
Barkhatov said Chubais had spent some four hours in the Investigations Committee.
Leonid Melamed, former head of Rosnanotech, was earlier charged with organization of massive misappropriation and embezzlement by a group of persons (a crime enshrined by Part 4 of Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code). His lawyer Ruslan Kozhura said Melamed does not admit his guilt. After being charged, he gave the investigators his explanations on the essence of the case.
The Basmanny District Court on July 3 granted the investigator's request that Melamed be placed under house arrest until September 1.
Melamed, his deputy Andrei Malyshev and the corporation's Financial Director Svyatoslav Ponurov are suspected of massive misuse of the state corporation's assets and abuse of office. The losses in question amount to over 220 million rubles, investigators said.
The investigators earlier said Melamed, his deputy Andrei Malyshev and the corporation's Financial Director Svyatoslav Ponurov are suspected of embezzlement of the state corporation's property, worth over 220 million rubles, involving abuse of office (Part 4 of Article 160 of the Russian Criminal Code).
According to investigators, Melamed, who was simultaneously co-owner of the investment and financial corporation Alemar (JSC IFK Alemar), organized the signing of a contract for the provision of consultancy services between Alemar and Rusnano, and Malyshev and Ponurov illegally transferred funds to Alemar for six months under Melamed's decision.
The investigators believe that, when Melamed was preparing to commit the crime, he invited and hired in Rusnano two other people implicated in the case, former employees of JSC IFK Alemar, who were controlled by him and whom he personally gave the powers to dispose of the corporation's property and sign any financial and settlement documents.
Meanwhile, Rusnano sources said there was no damage, the suspects acted within the law and will certainly be proven innocent during the inquiry.
The inquiry has been extended until September 11.
