Yevgeny Chichvarkin, the founder and former CEO of leading Russian handset retailer Euroset, no longer figures in the theft of a large quantity of mobile phones, as recent legal changes have rendered the case moot, Chichvarkin's lawyer Yury Gervis said on Friday.
"The criminal case has been withdrawn owing to amendments in Russia's Criminal Code," Gervis told Rapsi legal information agency.
Chichvarkin, who has spent the last few years in self-exile in London, was named as a witness in the high-profile case, which commenced in 2005. The former Euroset CEO has said repeatedly that his life might be in danger if he returned to Russia.
"Now a criminal prosecution on this case is impossible," Gervis said, adding that he did not know if Chichvarkin would return to Russia.
In 2008 Chichvarkin and his business partner Timur Artemyev sold Euroset to the ANN investment company for $1.25 billion. Euroset has more than 5,000 outlets in 1,464 cities in Russia and several former Soviet republics.
