The Basmanny Court of Moscow has extended the arrest of Renova top managers Boris Vainzikher and Yevgeny Olkhovik, who are accused of giving multimillion-dollar bribes to the former leadership of the Komi Republic, by three months. According to Interfax, Olkhovik's arrest has been extended until May 5, and Vainzikher's until May 6. The investigator presented the court with reports on operational and investigative measures indicating that, upon release, the accused may threaten witnesses or flee abroad.

The investigator reported on the complexity of the case. "A large volume of investigative actions remains to be carried out in the case. Several years have passed since the crime was committed, which complicates the investigation. A significant circle of persons involved in the crime both in Russia and abroad still remains to be identified," Interfax quotes.

The defendants asked to change their measure of restraint to a more lenient one. Their lawyers stated that there is no evidence of their clients' guilt in the case. Olkhovik's lawyer said that there are no witnesses to the bribery. Vainzikher's lawyer Andrei Rivkin, in turn, noted that during the five months of the investigation, only 50 witnesses were questioned instead of the stated 100, and it was never established what officials took bribes from the defendants in the case and how much they received. "The indictment says no less than 800 million, but it could be two or three billion," the lawyer said.

Earlier that day, it became known that the Basmanny Court had seized Vainzikher’s property.

Arrest of Renova top managers extended until May