Summary Investigators say Yevtushenkov has remained under house arrest, dismissing the claim of his release.
MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian billionaire s company claimed the tycoon was freed from house arrest on Friday, an announcement that was welcomed by some top officials only to be rejected minutes later by the nation s top criminal investigation agency.
The confusion about Vladimir Yevtushenkov s fate reflected a high-stakes battle for some of the country s most prized oil assets that reportedly involves the upper echelons of Russian officialdom.
Russia s Investigative Committee said Friday that the 65-year old Yevtushenkov has remained under house arrest, dismissing the claim of his release issued by his Sistema holding company.
Yevtushenkov s arrest Tuesday on money laundering charges has sent shock waves through the country s business community, drawing comparisons to the arrest of tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003.
It drew strong protests from some of the nation s top business figures, who warned that the measure was unfounded and could further worsen Russia s investment climate already hurt by Western economic sanctions over Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Russia s business ombudsman, Boris Titov, were among those who quickly hailed the claim of Yevtushenkov s release.
"A legal decision has shown respect for the public opinion," Titov said in live televised remarks. "We have been heard."
But less than 30 minutes after Yevtushenkov s release had been announced, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the tycoon has remained under house arrest.
The case against Yevtushenkov focused on his company s purchase of Bashneft, which was the nation s fastest growing oil company in the second quarter this year. Most market watchers see Yevtushenkov s house arrest as part of efforts by state-controlled oil giant Rosneft to take control of Bashneft.
Rosneft is led by Igor Sechin, a longtime close associate of President Vladimir Putin. Sechin also was seen as the principal force behind the demise of Khodorkovsky s Yukos oil company, whose assets have fallen to Rosneft.
