The head of state-owned oil giant Rosneft failed to appear as a witness in a high-profile embezzlement trial on Monday in order to attend a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Former Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev faces up to 15 years in prison on charges of soliciting a $2-million bribe from Rosneft’s CEO Igor Sechin.
Sechin was summoned to attend the high-profile trial as a witness on Monday but failed to appear in court in Moscow. Rosneft’s spokesman said that the CEO hadn’t received the summons.
The judge said Rosneft officials refused to accept the summons letter which was delivered by e-mail, fax, and in person, the Meduza news site reported.
Russia’s state-run postal service said it handed over the summons “at the place of delivery,” according to the RBC business portal.
A source close to the Russian delegation and Sechin's acquaintance told the Vedomosti business daily later that Sechin was due to accompany Putin for talks with Turkey’s leader on Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Sechin, dubbed “Russia’s second most powerful man” for close ties to Putin, was due in Russia’s southern city of Sochi for the meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court judge ruled in Moscow to issue a second summons to Sechin to testify at the next hearing on Nov. 15, Mediazona reported.
The first serving Russian cabinet member to be arrested since the fall of the Soviet Union, Ulyukayev denies the charges that he solicited a $2-million bribe from Sechin.
He accuses Sechin of conspiring with a retired senior FSB official and then-head of security at Rosneft to frame him.
Prosecutors said Sechin collaborated with the FSB in a sting operation to nab Ulyukayev at Rosneft’s office with a bag full of marked bills last year.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
