New Criminal Investigation Initiated Against Ex-Duma Deputy Ashot Yegiazaryan

It has been disclosed on Monday, that Russian Investigations Committee has initiated another criminal case against former Duma deputy and member of the LDPR party Ashot Yegiazaryan. The investigators alleged that Mr. Yegiazaryan along with his accomplice Vitaliy Gogokhia had committed grand larceny worth almost 6 billion rubles ($200 million), according to the victims’ lawyer Ruben Markarian.

According to the lawyer, Yegiazaryan and Gogokhia

tricked Michael Ananiev, the owner of a controlling stake of OJSC "Investor Center”, to issue 80 thousand shares to Yegiazaryan’s  ex-wife Natalia Tsagolova and his informal security advisor, Vladimir Zaitsev. In exchange for shares, Yegiazaryan allegedly promised to give Ananiev an asset of equal value, 50%-stake in  "Stone Bridge" and JSC "Kremlin web site" as well as the "Daev plaza" business center.  JSC "Investor Center" owned such assets as "Europark" shopping mall and bank "Respublicansky."

“I am not sure if Yegiazaryan is notified of the new charges. According to my information, he is in exile in the US and most likely learns about new developments from the newspapers. Our main task is to ensure there is a court decision in absentia (for that, Yegiazaryan’s presence is not essential) and to try to reparate demages,” says the lawyer. He added that Yegiazaryan has some assets in Russia that had been frozen by the court.  

The investigations committee confirmed the information. “Given investigation has been merged with another case against Yegiazaryan and his accomplices, where he is accused of larceny and theft,” says Vladimir Markin, representative of the committee. 

Source: Gazeta.ru

More on the issue:

RIA Novosi: Investigations Committee Confirmed New Case Against Yegiazaryan

Interfax: New Case Against Yegiazaryan