Police have closed an investigation into two senior executives at oil giant Slavneft, Russian media reported on 11 July. The Interior Ministry had been looking into abuse-of-authority allegations against Slavneft President Yurii Sukhanov and Vice President Dmitrii Perevalov, following findings by a Duma Audit Chamber probe of the company of massive financial violations.

Interfax reported on 11 July, however, that the case has been dropped because prosecutors found no evidence of a crime, the same reason prosecutors have given for closing a large number of high-profile political cases over the last 10 years.

(RFE/RL 12.vii.02)