Uralkali CEO Baumgertner officially charged on Thursday evening - source
MOSCOW. Aug 30 (Interfax) - Belarusian investigators officially filed charges against Russian potash miner Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner on Thursday evening, a source close to Baumgertner's defense team told Interfax.
Baumgertner, who also chairs the supervisory board of Belarusian Potash Co., the trading venture that Uralkali and state-owned Belaruskali set up in 2005, was charged with abuse of power (Part 3 of Article 324 of the Belarusian Penal Code) in the presence of his two Belarusian lawyers, he said.
However, the Belarusian Investigative Committee announced that charges had been brought against Baumgertner a few hours after the businessman's arrest on August 26, he said.
"By doing so, the investigative authorities of Belarus misled us concerning the legal status of Baumgertner," the source said.
The Russian side has not yet received any procedural documents dealing with Baumgertner's case, he said.
Baumgertner was detained in Minsk on Monday, August 26. A few hours after his arrest, the Belarusian Investigative Committee announced that the Uralkali CEO had been charged. The committee said later that Baumgertner had been remanded in custody for two months, but his custodial term might be prolonged, should such a need arise.