MOSCOW, July 21 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) – The criminal case against Russian businessman Sergei Polonsky, who is charged with embezzling 2.6 billion rubles ($41.2 million) during the construction of two residential complexes, was transferred to the Moscow Presnensky Court to be examined on the merits, Anastasia Pylina, the court’s spokeswoman, told RAPSI on Thursday.

“The criminal case materials have been delivered to the court. The date of hearings is to be determined yet,” – Pylina said. Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office web-site informed that the case materials relating to Polonsky and two more defendants in the case had been transferred to a court.

“The indictment in Sergei Polonsky case, who stands charged with two fraud crimes, as well as Alexander Paperno, Head of the Mirax Group Finance Department and Alexei Pronyakin, CEO of Avanta company, accused of accessory in fraud, has been approved,” – the Prosecutor’s Office statement reads.

According to investigators, Polonsky, aided by two aforesaid persons, has defrauded participants of shared construction apartment projects of 2.6 billion rubles ($41.2 million), thus committing a serious crime.

Polonsky, who is the founder of Potok (formerly Mirax Group), a diversified corporation that has been involved in several large development projects, is deemed to cause damages in amount of 2.4 billion rubles (around $38 million) with regard to Kutuzov Mile and 256 million rubles (around $4 million) with regard to Rublyovskaya Riviera development projects.

Other projects Polonsky has been involved in include Federation Tower in the Moscow International Business Center, office buildings Mirax Plaza, Poklonnaya 11 and Admiral, condominium developments Mirax Park, Golden Keys 1 and 2, and the Well House.

In May 2015, the Cambodian authorities, where Polonsky had been avoiding Russian prosecution, extradited him to Russia.

If convicted, Polonsky could face up to ten years in prison. Polonsky has pleaded not guilty.