The investigators have included a former principal owner of “BTA Bank" Mukhtar Ablyazov and top managers of the developer “Eurasia Logistics"- Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arthur Trofimov, Alexander Volkov, General Director, financial director Artem Bondarenko, Director on Economics Alexei Belov, and Head of Legal Denis Vorotyntseva - in an organized group, which damaged the "BTA Bank". According to investigators, along with the leasing company "Case" Dmitry Pak (arrested on charges of embezzling more than $ 70 million for "BTA Bank") they caused considerable damage to "BTA Bank" by stealing property for almost $ 3 billion, and cash a $ 1.5 billion, 776 million rubles, and 18 million euros. Such information is contained in the materials of the case, which leads the IC at the MIA, as the lawyer of one of the suspects told. According to him, yesterday the IC at the MIA raided the offices of "Eurasia Logistics" and detained Volkov, Bondarenko, Belov, and Vorotyntsev. They failed to detain the rest of the suspects: Ablyazov was in London then, and Trofimov - on real estate exhibition in Cannes.

«It’s all a complete surprise for me”, Ablyazov told "Vedomosti". - Russia's investigative authorities have never called me about the presence of any criminal cases against me and have not taken any measures for investigation with my participation”. Trofimov also contends that he was not summoned for any interrogation. Timofei Gridnev, lawer of Volkov from "Gridnev & Partners” said they had not summoned his client for questioning as well, moreover, during the arrest he had been injured.

Ablyazov connects what the current situation with their conflict with the Kazakh authorities. In January 2009 the Kazakh government decided to nationalize "BTA Bank" through accusing Ablyazov (and former top managers of the bank) of embezzlement and money laundering, and declaring him in the international wanted list. According to the head of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Grigory Marchenko, the bank had withdrawn a total of about $ 10 billion. "I disagreed with the decision, filed a suit in international courts, and brought significant actions against the government of Kazakhstan,” said Ablyazov. “All the happening in Russia is a reaction to my recent actions. I believe that law enforcement authorities of Russia have been misled by the authorities of Kazakhstan."

Ablyazov refused to say what possessions he owns in Russia at the moment. Russia’s "BTA Bank" held the 76th place on assets (41.88 billion rubles.) on January, 1 (now 22% of it is in the Kazakh “BTA Bank ", the rest are considered to belong to the structures by Ablyazov). In 2003, Ablyazov created Investment Group (IPG), "Eurasia", which specialized in real estate and energy for investment in non-banking assets. Until recently it owned such projects as the satellite city "Konstantinovo" (8 million square meters) in Domodedovo, "Eurasia Tower (208 000 sq. meters) in the" Moscow City ", oceanarium (180 000 sq. meters) on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. "Eurasia Logistics" was separated from the IPG in 2005-2006 for the industrial real estate development in Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey. Its investment portfolio is about 10 million square meters; its projects are as follows: the park “Northern Domodedovo" (1.1 million sq. m.) in the Moscow region, projects in the Sverdlovsk region, Tatarstan, and Novosibirsk.