SARAJEVO, July 13 (RIA Novosti) – A court in the Montenegrin city of Podgorica has authorized the arrest of the Russian financial director of the Balkan country’s biggest aluminum plant, co-owned by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, local media said.
Russian national Dmitry Potrubach, 44, was detained Wednesday evening while attempting to cross the border with Serbia. He has been accused of stealing electricity worth 9.64 million euros from the European power system, the Vijesti newspaper said Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier expressed hope that the Montenegrin authorities would not keep him in custody during the investigation, considering his poor health.
Deripaska's En+ group holds a 29.3 percent stake in the plant, while the Montenegrin government holds another 29.3 percent. The plant, which produces 120,000 tons of aluminum a year and employs 1,200 people, is bankrupt according to local media.
En+ said in a Thursday statement the company regarded Potrubach's detention as an attempt to put pressure on the plant’s legitimate shareholders and investors.
