He will remain in Chita jail until 2 November 2008

On Thursday the Chita Region Court upheld the request of the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General’s office and extended Platon Lebedev’s detention in custody in the Chita pre-trial remand centre until 2 November 2008. The Court ruled that the investigators have the right to extend the detention of the former head of Group Menatep and that this does not infringe his constitutional rights.

The Investigative Committee justified the extension in terms of the large volume of documentation of the criminal case and excluded any possibility of altering the measure of restraint. “With his wide connections, Lebedev might go into hiding abroad, put pressure on the witnesses and obstruct the investigation,” said the prosecution spokesman in court. As earlier reported, the court recessed twice during the hearing and on Monday declined three petitions from the defence.

One petition asked for a formal request to be made to the State Property Fund as to whether Lebedev had been entrusted with 38% of the shares in the Eastern Oil Company (VNK) plc. At the Tuesday hearing Lebedev’s lawyers submitted a further five petitions, demanding that evidence be furnished for the charges under which Platon Lebedev’s detention in custody was being extended. “Reports that shares in VNK plc were misappropriated do not correspond to reality and have not been confirmed by any evidence,” defence attorney Vladimir Krasnov told the court.

Lebedev’s lawyers consider that an extension of their client’s detention in custody is unlawful and contradicts the Convention for the Defence of Human Rights to which Russia is a signatory. “The only possible decision is to release Platon Lebedev. How the familiarisation with the case documentation is completed is a practical matter and capable of solution,” said Krasnov.

After a year’s detention in a pre-trial remand centre the capacity to further prolong custody passes from the district court to the Region Court. In April this year the Chita Region Court extended Platon Lebedev’s detention in custody until 2 August 2008.

(Interfax, 17.07.2008)