MOSCOW, May 10 - RAPSI. The Moscow Khamovnichesky District Court turned down on Thursday a complaint filed by Sergei Magnitsky's former partner Ivan Cherkasov against the Interior Ministry's refusal to issue him a Russian foreign passport. He is presently in the UK.

Magnitsky, an auditor at the Hermitage Capital Management Fund, was charged with being involved in a large-scale corporate tax evasion. He died in a Moscow pretrial detention center on November 16, 2009 after spending nearly a year behind bars. His death caused a public outcry.

The judge explained that under current law denying a citizen a foreign passport or banning him from traveling abroad are restrictions applicable to individuals under criminal investigation.

According to the judge, Cherkasov still has a valid passport, so his rights cannot be deemed as having been violated.

Earlier, the Investigative Committee reported that Cherkasov is suspected of being involved in over 2 billion rubles ($67 million) income tax evasion by the Kameya company.

Hermitage head William Browder is also a suspect in the case and has been placed on the international wanted list like Cherkasov.

Cherkasov's prosecution started in May 2007. He was charged with making an incomplete tax payment for Kameya for the 2006 year when he served as the company's general director. The company is owned by an Hermitage Capital client.

Cherkasov left Russia in 2006. Browder has stayed away from Russia since 2005 when his entry visa was canceled for reasons still unknown.

Nevertheless, both men were placed on the federal wanted list.