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A Moscow court today, on July 3, extended the term of house arrest of businessman Levon Hayrapetyan, a defendant in the Bashneft case, Hayrapetyan’s lawyer Ruben Markaryan told RIA Novosti.

Hayrapetyan was charged with involvement in the sale in April 2009 of Bashneft (owned by Ural Rakhimov for 3 years) to Sistema Company. Bashenft was transferred again to state ownership through arbitration proceedings. A second case was also opened against Hayrapetyan. He is charged with embezzling $700,000 from Bashkistan’s senator Igor Izmestyev who is currently serving a life term. The investigation into this case has finished, according to Russian news agency.

The court decided to grant the petition of investigators and extend the measure of restraint – house arrest until September 15,” Judge Pavel Milekhin said.

At the sitting the investigator asked the court to extend the term of house arrest. He said the defendant and his lawyers need time to familiarize themselves with the case materials.

The prosecutor said the lawyers familiarized themselves slowly with case materials, though they are not voluminous. “Besides, Hayrapetyan holds dual citizenship and may go into hiding if another measure of restraint is used,” she added.

The defense objected to the petition and asked the court to release Hayrapetyuan on bail. “We are already familiar with the materials of the case, the investigative actions are over so there are no reasons for extending the measure of restraint”, the lawyer said stressing that Hayrapetyan has no Armenian and Russian passports on him so he can’t run away.

According to investigators, L. Hayrapetyan holds dual citizenship and owns property abroad, in particular, he lived in Monaco in recent years. They used that circumstance a reason for holding him in an investigatory isolation ward. In October 2014 the businessmen was placed under house arrest. Hayrapetyan’s lawyer earlier said his health has sharply deteriorated and asked the court to release him.