Spox: No meeting between Putin, Vekselberg before Renova searches

MOSCOW, Sep 7 (PRIME) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin did not meet with billionaire businessman Viktor Vekselberg, the owner of multi-industry holding Renova Group, ahead of searches at Renova’s offices, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

“No, there was no separate meeting. You know that Vekselberg participated very actively in the work of the Eastern Economic Forum,” Peskov said.

On Monday, the Federal Security Service and the Investigative Committee searched Renova’s offices in central Moscow. Renova said the searches were related only to operations of its unit, power producer T Plus.

According to the Investigative Committee’s official representative Vladimir Markin, in 2007–2014, the former and current top executives of IES Holding, which has been reorganized into T Plus, gave bribes to officials in the Komi Republic for setting the best prices for heat and electric power and providing other incentives. The total sum of bribes exceeded 800 million rubles and a criminal case has been opened, Markin said on Monday.

T Plus CEO Boris Vainzikher and board chairman Yevgeny Olkhovik were detained on Monday on suspicion of giving bribes to the Komi Republic officials. Mikhail Slobodin, a member of T Plus’ board of directors, who is also involved in the bribery case, is currently abroad. On Tuesday, he resigned from position of mobile phone company VimpelCom CEO.

(64.8306 rubles – U.S. $1)

End