17:00, 24 May 2010

Fraud suspects arrested in Rostov

In Rostov, the board chairman of "Mutual loan" cooperative society Alexander Hevelev and his ex-wife, Natalya Samokhina, who are suspected of defrauding nearly 3500 shareholders for over 347 million rubles, were arrested, the Rostov regional prosecutor's office reports.

"It was found that during two years Hevelev and Samokhins were taking money from citizens under the loan agreement and were spending this money at their own convenience: invested in affiliated firms or bought real estate with them, having registered their relatives' and friends' name on title deeds.

"It was also found that from 2007 to September 2008, Alexander Khevelev and Natalia Samokhina were taking mainly from retirees under the contract of loan funds with no intention of giving them back", Interfax quotes the Rostov regional prosecutor's office representative Natalia Akhreeva.

The criminal case against the detainees was filed under the article that stipulates the penalty of confinement for up to ten years, "Gazeta.Ru" writes.

Suspects' comments and defense's pleas have not been voiced yet.