MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow court has remanded the main suspect in Central Banker Andrei Kozlov's murder case, Alexei Frenkel, in custody until August 13.
Prosecutors arrested Frenkel, a former banker, in January as the chief suspect in the September murder of Kozlov, first deputy chairman of the Central Bank Board. Kozlov closed down Frenkel's VIP-bank three months before the killing.
Igor Trunov, a lawyer for Frenkel, said he disagreed with the court's decision and will file an appeal with the Moscow City Court.
Following his arrest, Frenkel, who could face life in prison, published two letters accusing the Central Bank of accepting bribes in exchange for allowing banks to join the deposit insurance system. Prosecutors are investigating Frenkel's accusations.
Kozlov, 41, who has been described as a vigorous campaigner against corruption and money laundering in Russia's banking sector, was shot in the head late September 13 in what appears to have been a contract killing.
Kozlov and his driver, who died instantly, were gunned down as they left a sports stadium in northeast Moscow. The banker underwent emergency surgery, but died several hours later.
In all, seven suspects are now in custody for their alleged involvement in Kozlov's murder, including Liana Askerova, a restaurateur, whose testimony eventually led to Frenkel's arrest.
