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Igor BabenkoFormer manager of Menatep
Country:
 Lithuania |
Content:
Biography of Igor Babenko
Igor Babenko was a former manager of the Menatep Bank and a banker at Menatep's branch in Stavropol. He requested political asylum in Lithuania and has been in custody at Lukiskes Prison in Vilnius. The Vilnius District Court extended his detention for another three months based on a request from the country's Prosecutor's Office. Babenko stated that he did not commit the crimes he is being accused of by Russian law enforcement authorities, claiming that the case against him is fabricated.
Request for Political Asylum
Babenko, who is originally from Lithuania, applied for political asylum in the country, stating that the criminal case against him in Russia was politically motivated and that he would face an unfair trial if extradited. In October, he was granted temporary territorial asylum in Lithuania and was issued a foreigner's registration certificate. The Migration Department was supposed to review his asylum application and provide a response by January 31.
Legal Proceedings
The Vilnius District Court previously ruled in favor of extraditing Igor Babenko to Russia, but he appealed this decision to the Lithuanian Court of Appeals. Babenko was arrested by Lithuanian law enforcement officials last summer after being placed on an international wanted list by Russian authorities. He is suspected of embezzlement, theft, and money laundering between 2002 and 2005, involving amounts totaling 333 million rubles. The National Bank "Trust," formerly Menatep St. Petersburg, initiated the criminal case against Babenko.
Bank's Statement
According to Ekaterina Tolkunova, the Director of Marketing and Communications at the National Bank "Trust," the case against Babenko is not politically motivated, but rather a criminal matter. Tolkunova stated that Babenko was dismissed from his position in the spring of 2005 after an internal investigation revealed that he caused financial damage to the bank. The bank initiated the case against him.
Igor Babenko was born in Kretinge, Western Lithuania, and had been heading the Stavropol branch of Menatep Bank since 1998.
