LAWYER TO APPEAL CHARGES AGAINST EX-SENATOR

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
February 8, 2007 Thursday 05:33 AM EST

Lawyer Boris Kuznetsov, who represents interests of ex-senator from
Kalmykia Levon Chakhmakhchian, has said he intends to appeal the
charges brought against his client.

"I regard this charge ungrounded and illegal and will certainly appeal
it," Kuznetsov told Itar-Tass.

Earlier on Thursday, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office charged
former member of the Federation Council Levon Chakhmakhchian with
"grand theft of property," covered by Article 159, Part 4, of Russia’s
Criminal Code.

Chakhmakhchian is accused of stealing 1.5 million dollars /40 million
roubles/ using his office position," a prosecutor explained.

Investigators said Chakhmakhchian, together with other members of a
criminal group which including his son-in-law — an aide to an Audit
Chamber inspector — and chief accountant of the non-profit Association
of Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation, "induced the leadership of
a large airline through fraud, and abuse of office powers, to pass to
them a remuneration to the tune of 1.5 million dollars, for settling
the alleged problems of the transfer of taxes and customs duties to
the budget."

"On June 2, 2006, Chakhmakhchian and other members of the criminal
group arrived at an office of the airline, where their criminal actions
were intercepted by FSB agents as the suspects were receiving 300,000
dollars in cash," he said.

On February 1, Moscow’s Basmanny Court sanctioned a two-month arrest
of Chakhmakhchian.

The court met the petition of the prosecutors who said that
"Chakhmakhchian, if at large, may hide or put pressure on
investigators."

Kalmykia’s parliament terminated Chakhmakhchian’s powers ahead of
time at the request of Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov on
June 23, 2006.