MOSCOW, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - The acting president of embattled oil company Yukos said Monday that prosecutors suspected him of embezzlement and money laundering.

"I don't know about a criminal case yet, but it is known that I am suspected of ... embezzlement and ... money laundering," Vasily Aleksanyan told RIA Novosti.

Aleksanyan, a lawyer and a former head Yukos' legal department, said a Moscow district court would consider a prosecutors' request to charge him April 5. The decision on whether to proceed with criminal cases against a lawyer should be made by a court.

Aleksanyan said he was innocent of the charges, adding that he had been interrogated over the last two years, and no charges had been laid against him until now.

As for a possible candidature for the next acting Yukos president, Aleksanyan said it was most important to keep the company operational, adding that efforts to bankrupt Yukos would not bring profit to those seeking it, as the company's assets were distributed among subsidiaries.