MOSCOW, November 22 (RAPSI, Kirill Ryabchikov) – Moscow’s Basmanny District Court on Friday prolonged house arrest of ex-governor of Russia’s Khabarovsk Region Victor Ishayev involved in the Rosneft embezzlement case until February 27, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

The court granted a motion to extend his house arrest for three months filed by investigators.

The hearing was held behind closed doors.

Ishayev was arrested in Moscow on March 28. On March 29, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court denied a 15-million-ruble ($232,000) bail to Ishayev and placed him under house arrest.

From 2013 to 2018, Ishayev was a vice-president of Rosneft. According to investigators, between 2014 and 2017, he fraudulently ensured signing of premises lease agreements for the company office’s use in the Khabarovsk Region at an overvalued price. The contracts were concluded with Ishayev’s firm.

Investigators claim that damage caused by Ishayev is estimated at 5 million rubles (about $80,000).

The defendant pleads not guilty. According to his defense lawyer Pavel Zaytsev, his client sent a payment transaction confirmation in the amount of 5.7 million rubles to Rosneft on April 5.