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Moscow court remands space company chief in custody until June 9

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MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow court Wednesday remanded in custody the general director of a Russian aerospace engineering company charged with transferring sensitive technology to China.

Igor Reshetin, head of Tsniimash-Export, is charged with transferring precision engineering technology to a Chinese corporation in violation of state export controls, and of diverting 30 million rubles ($1.16 million) through schemes involving front companies.

"The term of custody for Reshetin has been extended to June 9 to allow the defense to finish familiarizing itself with the criminal case materials," Reshetin's lawyer Anatoly Yablokov told RIA Novosti.

Reshetin's defense earlier appealed to the Supreme Court to release him from custody, as it believed he would not influence the investigation.

Due to the seriousness of the charges and attempts to pressure the sides involved in the criminal proceedings, the Lefortovo District Court ruled in November 2005 to arrest Reshetin, along with his two deputies, Sergei Tverdokhlebov and Alexander Rozhkin.

The prosecution claimed that Reshetin might be able to hinder the investigation, influence witnesses, and continue his criminal activities.

The company run by Reshetin, Tsniimash-Export, is part of Russia's Central Research Institute for Machine Building and is one of the main research centers in the Russian space sector.

Founded in 1991, Tsniimash-Export has implemented more than 120 contracts for aerospace companies and firms in the U.S., China, and several other countries.

The company was licensed by the Russian Federal Aerospace Agency in 1996 to work in the space industry, and has had official accreditation as a scientific company since 2001.

Analysts said Russian technology might have formed the basis of China's manned space program, which has carried out two successful orbital missions to date.

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