The former director of the Seventh Studio was put under house arrest

The Presnensky District Court placed under house arrest Yuri Itin, the former CEO of the non-profit organization Seventh Studio, founded by director Kirill Serebrennikov. He is suspected in the case of embezzlement of budgetary funds.

According to Interfax, the court granted the defense's petition, taking into account Itin's "identity data". The investigation asked for his arrest.

“The severity of the charge alone is not a basis for choosing such a measure of restraint as detention,” the agency cites the judge’s ruling.

During the meeting, Itin refused to plead guilty to embezzlement, but stated that he "admits his negligence."

Earlier, the term of detention was extended for the chief accountant of the Seventh Studio, Nina Maslyayeva, the second suspect in the case. According to her lawyer, she agreed to plead guilty and is cooperating with the investigation.

• As part of the investigation into the embezzlement of budgetary funds allocated to the Seventh Studio, on May 23, searches were carried out in the apartment of the founder of this organization, director Kirill Serebrennikov.
• Investigative activities were also carried out at the Gogol Center, whose artistic director is Serebrennikov, and at the former head of the Department of State Support for the Arts of the Ministry of Culture, Sophia Apfelbaum, who now holds the post of director of the RAMT. Serebrennikov was interrogated in the UK and released on a promise to appear.