The investigation into a major extortion case, which involved a chief investigator of Russia’s Investigative Committee, has been completed, Kommersant reports. Andrey Grivtsov is indicted on a charge of extorting $15m from CEO of Rosenergomash machine-building holding Vladimir Palikhata. 

Grivtsov is indicted on committing offenses under Article 30.3 and Article 290.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation («an attempt of bribe receiving by means of extortion of a large sum of money»). Grivtsov's associates - unemployed Sergey Kirimov and head of extremism combat department of metropolitan police Colonel Sergey Khatsernov - are indicted on mediation of bribe. Files, pertaining lawyer Ruslan Parkin, another suspect in the case, are united into separate investigation case due to his flight.

The criminal case against investigator Grivtsov and his alleged associates was opened in January 2010, following Vladimir Palikhata written statement, the Russian Mafia (rumafia.com) reported. Palikhata claimed that the investigator blackmailed him into giving a huge sum of money by threatening to arrest Palikhata on evidence of his involvement into forceful raids of buildings in Moscow and St Petersburg.

On January 14, 2010, Sergey Kirimov was arrested trying to take $8m out of the bank’s slot in Interkommertsbank. The second “mediator”, lawyer Ruslan Parkin fled. Investigator Grivtsov was arrested later. 

Moscow’s Basmanny Court issued an arrest warrant for Grivtsov and Kirimov. The investigation found out, that Vladimir Palikhata had never been extorted and, on the contrary, Parkin and Kirimov tried to bribe investigator Grivtsov, following the orders of the CEO of Rosenergomash, who acted in the interests of the company. Kirimov accepted the plea bargain and Palikhata de facto was found guilty of bribery. He was freed of prosecution on the grounds that he cooperated with the police and reported the bribe. The case was closed. 

Soon member of the upper house of Russian parliament Lyudmila Narusova asked deputy prosecutor general Viktor Grin to reinvestigate the crime. Grin overturned previous indictment and ordered to reinvestigate the case. According to the second investigation, investigator Grivtsov is considered a bribe-taker, Kirimov - a “mediator”. Besides them, Col. Kirimov is indicted as another mediator.

“I am sure, the jury will find him innocent,” says Aleksandr Zabeyda, the lawyer of investigator Grivtsov. “The jury will at once understand, that Vladimir Palikhata feigned extortion in an attempt to close criminal case about his raids of buildings in Moscow”.