Translated material
Rosbalt journalist charged in absentia with slander against Alisher Usmanov. He is on the international wanted list
The police have charged Rosbalt journalist Alexander Shvarev in absentia with slander and extortion, Interfax reports, citing Shvarev’s lawyers.
The journalist, who is undergoing treatment in Latvia, has been placed on an international wanted list. The court will consider a motion for his arrest in absentia on November 11.
The investigation believes that Shvarev disseminated deliberately false information about businessman Alisher Usmanov, defaming his honor and dignity, and undermining his reputation.
In addition, according to investigators, Shvarev threatened a businessman from Kazakhstan, Kenes Rakishev, with the dissemination of defamatory information and extorted 3.3 million rubles from him.
Shvarev denies the charges brought against him. His lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov called the criminal case a contract.
“The accusation is absolutely not specific, far-fetched and unfounded; one could say it is some kind of virtual accusation,” Zherebenkov said.
- In April, searches were conducted in the Moscow editorial office of Rosbalt as part of the investigation into the libel case against Usmanov: investigators seized computers that contained information about the Shakro Molodoy case . Six months before that, Usmanov had successfully obtained through the court the removal of three articles about his alleged ties to this criminal from the Russian Criminal website.