Father of senator accused of murder detained on charges of robbing Gazprom

Moscow’s Basmanny Court has ordered two months of detention for Raul Arashukov, who is accused of stealing natural gas from the major Russian-based energy company Gazprom. The value of the stolen gas is allegedly estimated at 30 billion rubles (almost $460 million).

Arashukov denies the charges. He has asserted that his arrest stemmed only from criminal charges brought against his son, Senator Rauf Arashukov, who was arrested yesterday on the floor of the Russian Federal Council and detained while he awaits trial for murder and conspiracy.

Raul Arashukov’s reported nephew Ruslan was also assigned two months of detention under guard in connection with the Gazprom theft case.