MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/: A Moscow court has ordered to arrest in absentia owner of Active CIS group of companies Sergei Presnyakov, who is accused of a fraudulent loan scheme to the tune of over 900 mln rubles ($12.1 mln), a spokesperson for the court said.
One of Russia’s top businessmen has been put on an international wanted list, Spokesperson Alexandra Evdokimova said.
"Under the the Golovinsky district court’s ruling on April 13 against Sergei Presnyakov, a pre-trial restriction measure has been chosen in the form of custody for two months, which will start from the moment of his extradition or detention in Russia. Presnyakov has been placed on an international wanted list," the spokesperson said.
The businessman has been charged with a large-scale fraud with loans and faces up to 10 years behind bars and a fine of up to 1 mln rubles. According to investigators, Presnyakov had set up a criminal group, which siphoned off large sums of money into offshore accounts through fraudulent schemes.
Investigators believe that the damage from this fraud amounts to 900 mln rules. "The sum could surge to 10 bln rubles ($135 mln)," a source in the law enforcement agencies said.
In March 2020, Presnyakov was recognized as bankrupt. The businessman founded or owns eight companies in Moscow and Gatchina, in the Leningrad Region.
