Yukos executive charged with embezzlement

Vasily Aleksanian was recently tapped to save oil giant from bankruptcy

MOSCOW – An executive recently assigned to saving Yukos, Russia

Earlier, the Simonovsky court had ruled that prosecutors could launch criminal proceedings against Aleksanian, who was appointed vice president at Yukos last week after heading its legal department. Russian law requires that prosecutors receive court permission to file charges against a former lawyer.

A spokeswoman for the general prosecutors office said Aleksanian had been detained as a suspect and was being interrogated by prosecutors.

AP