MOSCOW, October 26 - RAPSI, Irina Tumilovich. The defense attorney of former Bank of Moscow President Andrey Borodin has filed an appeal against his fraud charges to the Prosecutor General's Office, Borodin's attorney Mikhail Dolomanov told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

According to Dolomanov, the investigators have released Borodin from the abuse of power charges, but charged him with fraud.

The Interior Ministry's investigative department opened a case against Borodin and his deputy Dmitry Akulinin in late 2010. Both are alleged to have defrauded the Moscow government of 12.76 billion rubles ($418.4 million) via a loan issued by the bank to the Premier Estate company.

A Moscow district court issued arrest warrants for Borodin and Akulinin in absentia.

The investigators maintain that Borodin, Akulinin and their unidentified accomplices have inflicted 12.5 billion rubles ($409 million) in damages to their bank.
Both men face up to 10 years in prison.