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Saint-Petersburg Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee has finished investigating a criminal case against former chairman of the board of directors of OAO Bank VEFK (OJSC) and OAO INKASBANK (OJSC) Alexander Gitelson charged with a crime under part 4 of article 159 of the RF Penal Code (fraud).

According to investigators, in the period between May 2006 and May 2007, Gitelson as the chairman of board of directors of Bank VEFK and INKASBANK set up control over a number of lending agencies, such as OAO PetroAeroBank (OJSC), OAO Vyborg-Bank (OJSC), OAO INKASBANK (OJSC), OAO Urals Trust Bank (OJSC), OAO Ruskobank (OJSC), OAO Bank VEFK (OJSC) and foreign bank Banya Luka (Republic of Serbia). In those banks Gitelson appointed heads of banks and principal departments influencing both the general management of the banks and their economic activity. From January to April 2007 the accused organized electronic transmission of 5 billion rubles from Banya Luka to the accounts in Bank VEFK through SWIFT-messages. Then from May 2007 to October 2008 the accused deceived the employees of Bank VEFK and using forged documents under the guise of borrowing stole over 2 billion 500 million rubles from the bank vault. In addition, Gitelson involved in the criminal scheme president of INKASBANK Tatyana Lebedeva and paid her fees. To attract funds she from July to September 2008 concluded with the finance committee of Leningrad Region agreements on deposits and then transmitted the budget money guised as bank loans to Bank VEFK. By their joint actions Gitelson and Lebedeva caused the Government of Leningrad Region loss of over 1 billion 892 million rubles. Later the stolen money was transferred into the lending agencies controlled by Gitelson, including outside the Russian Federation and then was used on his personal needs, including buying real estate abroad.

Earlier Lebedeva, who had concluded a pretrial cooperation deal, was given a suspended sentence of 4 years in prison and a fine of 300 thousand rubles.

The timely put arrest on the Gitelson’s shares in the authorized capitals in Vyborg-bank and OAO Russian trade and industrial (OJSC), where he basically held the controlling interest and the work within the bankruptcy proceedings against INKAS-BANK allowed returning in the budget of Leningrad Region 416 million rubles.

The investigators have gathered enough evidence, therefore the criminal case with the approved indictment has been sent to court to be tried on the merits.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                    V.I. Markin