MOSCOW. March 24 (Interfax) - The case of Russian citizen Valery Selyanin suspected of high treason will be presented to the prosecution service in the beginning of next week.
The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected the defense team's objections to the arrest extension for 20 months, until April 28. The period of the high treason inquiry (article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code) has been extended until May 29.
The other two defendants are foreign citizens who, according to the detective, "speak a rare oriental language, which creates a translation problem due to the shortage of such specialists."
The defendants are familiarizing themselves with the case, which will be submitted to the prosecution service before March 30 for approval of the bill of indictment, the detective said.
Selyanin, a native of the Sumy region of Ukraine and a technical specialist, is accused of rendering consultations and other aid to foreign citizens to the prejudice of security of the Russian Federation. He did not disclose state secrets and the hearings were open.
Selyanin pleaded not guilty.
"The detectives had a full idea of my innocence from the start. No accusations were brought against me and every examination confirmed that I was completely innocent. I have no reason to go into hiding," he said.
Selyanin added that he was not a threat to society, being a father of three adult children and would-be grandfather of his fifth grandchild.
The criminal inquiry was launched on August 29, 2013, against Selyanin and a number of unidentified individuals, and definitive accusations were brought against him on December 3, 2014.