The court upheld a request from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which stated that if released, the suspects could flee the country or pressurize witnesses.
"The investigators did not give any evidence that our clients intend to go into hiding. Also, the suspects are now studying the materials of the criminal case, so they cannot destroy evidence or pressurize witnesses," said Igor Trunov, a lawyer of one of the suspects, Alexei Frenkel.
Trunov said he would appeal the decision in the Russian Supreme Court.
Prosecutors arrested former banker Frenkel in January as the chief suspect in the 2006 murder of Andrei Kozlov, first deputy chairman of the Central Bank.
Kozlov, 41, who oversaw bank licensing and had led efforts to close down dozens of banks for violations of banking legislation, particularly on money laundering, was shot dead along with his driver on September 13, 2006. Kozlov had closed down Frenkel's VIP Bank three months prior to the murder.
Besides Frenkel, six people including businesswoman Liana Askerova, charged as an accomplice, are defendants in the Kozlov murder case. They are all in custody.
The investigation into the murder case has been extended until February 13, 2008.
