MOSCOW (AP) — The firm managed by jailed U.S. investor Michael Calvey has appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to take “personal control” of a fraud case against him and his colleagues.
Calvey and five colleagues were arrested this month on allegations of embezzlement involving a Russian bank where Calvey’s firm, Baring Vostok, has a controlling stake.
Baring Vostok argues “our colleagues are accused of offences in connection with the execution of normal management functions” and keeping them in pre-trial detention breaks the usual rules for such cases.
Asked if Putin would want to take the case under his personal control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says he “wouldn’t want to speculate.”
Calvey’s case has attracted influential supporters including Russia’s business ombudsman, Boris Titov, and the CEO of a sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev.
