Navalny under house arrest accused of laundering RUB 55 mln

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was placed under house arrest Feb. 28, after he was accused of  money laundering stolen from Yves Rocher together with his brother, the Russian daily Utro.ru wrote.

“The investigation into Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg, suspected of stealing and laundering a total of RUB 55 million from the cosmetics company Yves Rocher, began the last year. Alexei Navalny allegedly created a Russia-based company in 2008, and his brother Oleg persuaded Yves Rocher Vostok’s representative to enter into a disadvantageous contract with his brother’s company,” Utro.ru wrote.

Navalny was placed under house arrest under request of investigators working on the “Yves Rocher case.” The term of the house arrest is until 28 April but it can then be extended, due to the fact that the investigation on the “Yves Rocher case” was prolonged until the beginning of June, according to the media.

Under house arrest, Navalny has been banned from using the telephone, mail and the Internet, as well as communicating with other people besides his relatives. His widely followed blog, where he publicized his investigations into official corruption, also was blocked.

In 2013 Navalny was sentenced to five years in jail under another fraud case in connection with the company Kirovles, but he was released a day later.

Photo courtesy of Evgeny Feldman / Novaya Gazeta