MOSCOW, October 20 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Business Rights Commissioner Boris Titov asked Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov to note that investigators had rejected new documents submitted by defense in the Baring Vostok case, the ombudsman’s press office reports Tuesday.

According to Titov, the accused persons and their defense have almost completed reading case papers. The defendant’s lawyers have petitioned to attach certain important documents to the case, including court rulings on payment of debts amounting to over 2.5 billion rubles. However, the motion was denied. 

That’s why, the ombudsman asks Krasnov to take the defense position into account when prosecutors receive the case for the indictment approval.

Baring Vostok case

In August, the Moscow City Court prolonged house arrest of Calvey, Baring Vostok partner for the financial industry sector Philippe Delpal, Baring Vostok investment director Ivan Zyuzin, partner Vagan Abgaryan, CEO of the First Collectors Bureau Maxim Vladimirov and former chairmen of the board of Vostochny bank Alexey Kordichev, until November 13.

In early December, the Moscow City Court denied release of over 7.5 million rubles ($117,000) belonging to Calvey from attachment but overturned the seizure of his flat.

In mid-February 2019, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered detention of Calvey and five other defendants including Delpal, the company’s partners Vagan Abgaryan, Baring Vostok Investment Director Ivan Zyuzin, Maxim Vladimirov and ex- chairman of Vostochny bank board Alexey Kordichev.

On April 11, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court released Calvey from detention and put him under house arrest. Delpal’s measure of restrained was changed in October.

According to investigation, Calvey knowing about a 2.5-billion-ruble debt of the First Collector Bureau, a firm under his control, has organized the sale of its shares to Vostochny bank that has led to embezzlement.

The Investigative Committee claims that he committed a crime that could not be classified as business crime because he used a chain of sham companies settling the deal. Moreover, investigators say they have a PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit report on the done deal estimating the sold shares at 600,000 rubles, which indicates an instance of fraud.

Calvey denies allegations insisting that the deal was fair as both companies agreed its terms and stood for it, including a person reporting an alleged crime to law enforcement bodies. He noted that a report has been filed with police by a member of Vostochny bank board of directors Sherzod Yusupov. According to Calvey, the real reason of his prosecution is a wide corporate dispute related to the control of the bank by two groups of shareholders: Baring Vostok and stockholders coming from Uniastrum bank, which was reorganized and joined to Vostochny in early 2017.

Baring Vostok company founded by Calvey in 1994 focuses on private equity investments in the CIS and Russia. The company has invested in shares of Yandex, Vkusvill, Tinkoff Bank and other major projects.