Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin is listed among the witnesses in the case of ex-Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev, accused of receiving a $2 million bribe. This was reported on Tuesday by the press secretary of the Zamoskvoretsky court, Emilia Khil. “The prosecution declared Sechin as a witness. Perhaps he will be summoned to court,” she said (quoted by Interfax). However, the court representative clarified, there is no talk yet about the prosecution’s firm intention to interrogate Sechin: everything will become known at the court hearing, when the prosecution begins to present its evidence and name witnesses. The consideration of the case on its merits will begin on August 16.

Who else spoke in court?
In 2006, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin acted as a witness in the Moscow City Court (in the case of his deputy Sergei Storchak), and ex-ministers of economic development and trade and industry German Gref and Viktor Khristenko in 2010...
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Who else spoke in court?

In 2006, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin testified in the Moscow City Court (in the case of his deputy Sergei Storchak), and ex-ministers of economic development and trade and industry German Gref and Viktor Khristenko testified in 2010 in the second YUKOS case.

According to Rosneft press secretary Mikhail Leontyev, Sechin has not yet received a subpoena. But “if the court obliges him to attend, there are no obstacles, other than production needs and schedule, to him fulfilling his civic duty,” Leontyev said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

The investigation believes that Ulyukaev demanded money from a representative of Rosneft for the legal issuance of a positive conclusion regarding the transaction for the company’s acquisition of a state-owned stake in Bashneft. The minister allegedly threatened to create obstacles to the activities of Rosneft using his official powers, according to the Investigative Committee. It was reported that Ulyukaev was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of $2 million while leaving the Rosneft office. The ex-minister himself does not admit guilt.

Preliminary hearings in the case were held behind closed doors on Tuesday - this gave the ex-minister's lawyers a reason to categorically refuse any comments, including on the number and composition of witnesses in the case. Earlier, when discussing the preventive measure, investigators mentioned that among the witnesses in the case were Ulyukaev’s former subordinates, witnesses who were present during the arrest, and even the ambulance driver (the minister became ill during the arrest).

On Tuesday, according to the state prosecutor, it became known that the defense insisted on dismissing the case. According to Khil, the court found no grounds for suspending the case under Art. 238 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). This article allows the court to order the suspension of criminal proceedings if the accused has fled or is unable to participate in the process, there is a medical report about his serious illness, or if a request has been sent to the Constitutional Court regarding the constitutionality of the law applied or to be applied in a given criminal case . Ulyukaev's lawyers did not specify which grounds they appealed to. According to one of the participants in the meeting, the defense, among other things, demanded that a number of evidence appearing in the case be declared inadmissible - in particular, the protocol of the inspection of the scene of the incident and the audio recording of the negotiations of the persons involved in the case (it turned out to be divided into two fragments, although initially, by all indications, it was one audio file).

This is not the first time that Sechin has been called to court: in 2010, Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s lawyers tried to interrogate him as part of the second YUKOS case. But then the Khamovnichesky Court found no grounds for summoning Sechin. This time, the head of Rosneft will participate in the process, lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov is sure: apparently, he is one of the main witnesses in this case, he also determines the company’s policy. In addition, it is very difficult to refuse if the investigation calls you, he notes.

Who else spoke in court? In 2006, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin acted as a witness in the Moscow City Court (in the case of his deputy Sergei Storchak), and ex-ministers of economic development and trade and industry German Gref and Viktor Khristenko in 2010... Read in full

Who else spoke in court?
In 2006, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin acted as a witness in the Moscow City Court (in the case of his deputy Sergei Storchak), and ex-ministers of economic development and trade and industry German Gref and Viktor Khristenko in 2010...
Read in full

Igor Sechin was called as a witness