TOMSK, July 19 - RAPSI. The attorneys of Siberian Chemical Plant Director General Vladimir Korotkevich, who has been arrested and suspended from office pending the investigation in a bribery case, have submitted an appeal against the seizure of his property, Korotkevich's attorney Yevgeny Glazyrin told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

It was earlier reported that the Tomsk Regional Court had seized the property of Korotkevich and other individuals involved in the case on bribery. This included real estate in Moscow, Tomsk and Seversk, cars and money, some of which was confiscated during searches and some which is held in bank accounts in various Russian towns. The total cost of their personal and real property has been assessed at 300 million rubles ($9.3 million).

Investigators believe that the plant's CEO, Vladimir Korotkevich, his deputies, Yuri Kungurov and Leonid Romanenko, as well as TVEL official Timur Bukeykhanov, helped the International Center for Technology and Trade CEO to enter into a coal procurement transaction worth 557.2 million rubles ($17.3 million). In exchange for their assistance, it was agreed that the center would give them monthly kickbacks.

The center's management and Bukeykhanov allegedly received a total of 6.79 million rubles ($207,710) from the centre's CEO, which investigators say was divided between them. Korotkevich, Kungurov and Bukeykhanov were subsequently arrested.

The court upheld the investigation's request to change the measure of restraint for Bukeykhanov on July 10. Bukeykhanov admitted to the crime and the court ruled to release him on a 5 million ruble ($155,160) bail.

The Siberian Chemical Plant is one of four Russian plants involved in uranium enrichment. The company supplies nuclear power plants with uranium as nuclear fuel.