By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A Moscow court on Thursday extended the custody of Sergei Storchak, the deputy finance minister charged with attempting to embezzle $43 million, until April 9.
He was remanded in custody after a petition by the General Prosecutor’s Office.
“The court has ruled to extend Storchak’s custody by two months and 25 days,” the court’s ruling said.
A key figure in Russia’s Paris Club debt talks, Storchak was detained in Moscow along with two businessmen on November 15. The Investigation Committee said his arrest was related to the settlement of Soviet-era debt and that he was remanded due to prosecutors’ concerns that he could destroy evidence or intimidate witnesses. Storchak pleaded not guilty. The suspects could face five to ten years in prison.