MOSCOW, July 4 (RAPSI, Kirill Ryabchikov) – The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld detention of ex-chief of the Investigative Committee’s Volgograd Region directorate Mikhail Muzrayev as part of a terrorism case, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

Earlier, a lower court ordered Muzrayev to be detained until August 10.

Investigators have charged Muzrayev and businessman Vladimir Zubkov of committing a terrorist act in conspiracy over the arson of a house owned by the Volgograd Region governor Andrey Bocharov. The defendants could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to case papers, at the late nights of November 16, 2016, unknown persons broke into a private residence in one of the districts of Volgograd used by the governor and his relatives and attempted to fire the house. Law enforcement officers identified persons involved in the crime. They announced that the arson was committed by five members of a gang led by ex-tenant of the city’s Central market Eugeny Remezov.

Yet in 2003, Remezov locally known as an accomplished businessman and a crime boss concluded a profitable contract on the lease of nearly 16,500 square meters at the market main municipal market in the city; he underleased the said sales premises and got a vast profit in return. Bocharov began undertaking active measures to transfer the leased property back into the municipal ownership, the statement reads.

Investigators claim that Zubkov proposed businessman Remezov to fire the house of Bocharov. He persuaded him that investigation into the case would be conducted by Murzayev, who would agree with the region’s head upon the lease treaty extension.

Moreover, Remezov in his testimony said that he monthly gave Zubkov and Muzrayev from 500,000 to 1 million rubles ($16,000) for protection.

The defendants were arrested in early June. Muzrayev pleaded not guilty.