MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The Moscow Lyublino District Court on Thursday put on the wanted persons list and suspended the criminal case against Sergei Gavrilov, who is implicated in the New Greatness case and who had run away from under house arrest.
"Having reviewed the Federal Penitentiary Service's recommendation, the court ruled to put Sergei Gavrilov on the wanted persons list and to suspend the criminal case against him, instating separate proceedings. The case against him has been returned to the prosecutor in accordance with Article 238 of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure for the organization of the search," the court press service told Interfax.
The court also ruled to take Gavrilov, who was previously under house arrest, into custody in absentia on Thursday.
The legal proceedings against the other people implicated in the case continued.
Gavrilov is a defendant in the criminal case involving the creation and participation in an extremist community, the so-called New Greatness case.
The New Greatness case is currently being heard by the Lyublinsky Court. The defendants are Pyotr Karamzin, Dmitry Poletayev, Ruslan Kostylenkov, Vyacheslav Kryukov (all of them held in custody), plus Anna Pavlikova, Maria Dubovik, and Maxim Roshchin (all under house arrest). Gavrilov also was under house arrest. None of the defendants have pleaded guilty.
The defendants are charged with setting up and participating in an extremist organization. The investigation found that the activists planned to overthrow the constitutional system and establish a provisional government. The defense argued that the case is based solely on testimony by law enforcement operatives who had been previously planted into the organization.
Russian Federal Penitentiary Service deputy head Valery Maksimenko earlier told Interfax the news about Gavrilov's flight had come on Monday, when officials came to his residence after receiving a signal.
"It was determined that the contour of the electronic bracelet he was wearing has been broken. Our group went to his residence and he was not home," Maksimenko said.
According to some media, Gavrilov ran away to Ukraine.
It was also said during the court hearing on Thursday that Gavrilov had cut off power supply to his apartment before escaping.