UPDATE 4: France prolongs senator Kerimov’s detention for 24 hours

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MOSCOW/PARIS, Nov 22 (PRIME) -- France has prolonged detention of Russian billionaire and lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov for 24 hours, Nice’s Prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre told PRIME on Wednesday.

“The detention period was prolonged for another 24 hours,” Pretre said adding that detention may not exceed 48 hours in total without a court decision, which is expected later in the day.

“It is too early to make any conclusions,” he said, adding that a court investigator will summon Kerimov during the day.

Media reported on Tuesday that Kerimov, ranked by Forbes magazine as Russia’s 21st wealthiest businessman, with a net worth of $6.3 billion, was detained in Nice late on Monday. Reuters reported citing an official at the French prosecutor’s office that Kerimov, whose family controls Russia’s largest gold producer Polyus, was being held for questioning in a case related to laundering of tax fraud proceedings.

The lower house of Russia’s parliament State Duma approved a protocol order prepared by Dagestan Deputy Rizvan Kurbanov requesting the Foreign Ministry to take all actions necessary to free the detained senator and to demand a full explanation of the incident from France.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the international affairs committee of the parliament’s upper house Federation Council, said that the court is to choose pre-trial restrictions for Kerimov within a day. “The court may choose a pre-trial restriction for Suleiman Kerimov within 24 hours, which are running right now,” he said.

A source in the Federation Council told PRIME that Kerimov entered France without a diplomatic passport because he was on a private trip.

“We are allowed to issue a diplomatic passport to a senator only if there is an order that sends him on an official trip. We had no such order,” the source told PRIME, adding that all diplomatic passports are being kept by a special department of the Federation Council.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the fact that Kerimov is a holder of a diplomatic passport was important for Russia, and that Moscow would continue to fight for his interests.

Russia notified the French Foreign Ministry that Kerimov is a member of the Federation Council, has diplomatic immunity and a diplomatic passport, and cannot be detained on the territory of another country.

But Agnes Romatet-Espagne, French Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, said that only a French judge will decide whether Kerimov’s immunity covers possible charges.

“Mister Suleiman Kerimiov can use immunity from legal prosecution as a representative of a foreign state only in actions that were made during the conduct of his official duties,” she said.

Reuters also reported quoting a source as saying that the investigation centers on the purchase of several luxury residences on the French Riviera via shell companies, something that would have enabled Kerimov to reduce taxes owed to the French state.

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