MOSCOW, February 5 (RAPSI) – The Moscow Commercial Court refused to summon Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to testify as a witness in a criminal case against Denis Sugrobov, the former head of the Interior Ministry's Economic Security Department, and his alleged accomplices, RAPSI learnt in the court on Friday.

According to investigators, Sugrobov and other suspects tried to provoke a Federal Security Service (FSB) officer by offering him $10,000 a month for his protection. Sugrobov has been charged with organizing a criminal group, abuse of power and bribery.

His deputy Boris Kolesnikov was arrested in February 2014. In June, he jumped out of a window during questioning at the Investigative Committee in June. Later the Basmanny District Court said no evidence was found of assisted suicide.

In late August, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court seized assets owned by Sugrobov and Kolesnikov, which have been reportedly estimated at over 300 million rubles ($3.7 million).

Sugrobov, 39, is one of the youngest police generals. Kolesnikov was 36 when he was promoted to general.