Russian Accounts Chamber Chairman Alexei Kudrin confirmed on Tuesday that he thought it unnecessary to act as a bail bondsman for Michael Calvey, the recently arrested founder of investment company Baring Vostok, but noted that he favored changing the pre-trial restrictions for the US national
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2019) Russian Accounts Chamber Chairman Alexei Kudrin confirmed on Tuesday that he thought it unnecessary to act as a bail bondsman for Michael Calvey, the recently arrested founder of investment company Baring Vostok, but noted that he favored changing the pre-trial restrictions for the US national.Calvey is a founding partner of Baring Vostok Capital Partners private equity fund and a co-owner of Russia's Vostochny Bank. The US citizen was detained on Friday alongside five other suspects on suspicion of embezzling 2.5 billion rubles ($37 million) from Vostochny Bank. Calvey has denied the allegations. On Saturday, a Moscow court ruled to place Calvey under a two-month custody. The other five suspects in the case were arrested for two months on Friday. The businessman's lawyers have said they would appeal the court's decision.
"I know that very responsible and very authoritative people have already expressed readiness to act as bail bondsmen, so I do not consider it necessary for me to [appear as his bondsman]. Moreover, I belong to the control bodies that interact with other control bodies and law enforcement agencies. For me this is not a good practice ... One thing is an objective investigation. Here, no one should get ahead. And the second thing is the measure of restraint. I advocate for the pre-trial restrictions to be changed, especially given the fact that there are guarantors. We are all sure that no one will hide anything, will answer all questions, and that the investigation will proceed objectively," Kudrin told reporters.
Kudrin added that he could not comment on the details of the case and recalled Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks from 2015 where he said that "arrests should be avoided in cases where there are investigations into economic affairs."
"This was said because it happens excessively in our country," Kudrin noted.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Putin's agenda did not include discussions on the criminal case against Calvey. According to Peskov, Putin has met the Baring Vostok's founder a number of times, and the Kremlin has known Calvey as a consistent major investor who defended the attractiveness of the Russian market. The presidential spokesman expressed hope that Calvey's arrest would not affect the investment climate in the country.
