The Basmanny Court ruled that Vasily Aleksanyan will be remanded in custody until March 2, following a plea from the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Prosecutor General's Office accuses Aleksanyan of embezzling $460 million from Yukos production unit Tomskneft and funds from other oil companies, and of laundering another $460.8 million through his personal account in a Swiss bank. If found guilty, the defendant faces 10-15 years in prison.
The Yukos official denies the charges.
Aleksanyan's lawyer Gevorg Dangyan said the defense had insisted on their client's immediate release, saying he had health problems and did not have access to proper medical aid in the pre-trial detention center.
Prosecutors said earlier they wanted Aleksanyan to be remanded in custody because they feared he could flee the country, and that he had attempted to do so already. They also said he could try to intimidate witnesses, destroy documents, or hinder the investigations if released.
