One of the two Russians charged with stealing a yacht in Mexico has been released on bail, and the other is expected to be freed in the next few hours, Russian embassy spokesman Maxim Okopny said.
The yacht, which was reported stolen from Florida, the United States, last month, was detained in the Caribbean Sea by the Mexican Navy Forces. The two Russians, Oleg Denisov, 44, and Vladimir Galkin, 38, who were on board the vessel, have been arrested.
The men have maintained their innocence. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Denisov said he and his friend had rented the yacht for $20,000 from their acquaintance in Maiami on December 23, 2011, adding that the vessel’s owner was aware of the deal.
“We have all confirmations,” Denisov said. “We are just tourists. We have sailed along the Cuban coast after leaving Maiami. The Cuban authorities inspected us several times and found nothing criminal in our actions,” he added.
The Mexican Navy Secretary said the yacht, originally named Baby J, was renamed the Anna, but its model, color and serial number coincided with those of the stolen vessel.
The embassy spokesman said Denisov had been released on $20,000 bail, adding that Galkin was expected to be freed late on Friday local time. The two men have been banned from leaving Mexico.
“The Russian embassy continues providing all necessary assistance to our citizens, Russian Ambassador to Mexico Valery Morozov has taken the situation under his personal control,” Okopny said.
Denisov said the date for the next court hearing has not been set. He said he and Galkin would request the Mexican authorities to allow them to go to Moscow for a month to meet their relatives and collect documents for their defense.
