Yelena Baturina, wife of Moscow's former mayor Yury Luzhkov, will only appear for questioning over alleged embezzlement of state funds after she receives an official notice from investigators, Alexander Asnis, Baturina's lawyer, said on Wednesday.
Baturina, who is currently residing in London, refused to accept a summons for questioning that was handed over to Luzhkov when he himself was questioned in mid-November.
On Tuesday in an interview with Russian TV channel, Dozhd, Luzhkov confirmed that he had passed the notice from the Investigative Committee to his wife.
“Baturina will only stand for questioning after receiving a notice that complies with the established Russian and international legal process,” Asnis said.
The lawyer added that investigators can send an official summons to Baturina as she is not in hiding and her whereabouts are known.
Luzhkov and Baturina are being investigated about their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of 12.7 billion rubles ($413 million) of state funds via Bank of Moscow, which was controlled by Moscow City Hall in 2009.
Baturina’s brother, Viktor Baturin was arrested in late November as he attempted to receive a payment of 10.8 million rubles ($344,000) from his sister's company Inteko under a fake promissory note.
