The Moscow City Court upheld an arrest warrant issued by the Moscow Basmanny Court for Yukos lawyer Pavel Ivlev. The decision effectively dismissed the cassation plea by Ivlev’s lawyers, who asked the court to declare the arrest void.

Ivelv’s attorney, Yuri Bagraev, said the prosecutor’s office argued the Basmanny Court decision should be left in place on the grounds that Pavel Ivlev was put on the international wanted list and thus the decision to sanction his arrest was lawful. The defence maintained the Ivlev was put on the wanted list unfoundedly.

“A person is put on the wanted list, if his/her residence is not known,” Bagraev said. “This is the only grounds for an international search warrant. Mr. Ivlev was declared wanted on November 17, but in the same year, in April, he filed a notice with the Prosecutor General’s Office and certified by the Russian Vice Consul in America and stated that he lived in the United States,” the lawyer said.

According to Mr. Bagraev, the court rendered by decision by saying, “He left Russia and, thus, absconds.”

Interfax)