Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Friday morning he had to interfere in the criminal case over the Russian furniture trading company Grand so as to attract independent investigators to it.

“I had to bring in an investigator from the Leningrad region who has no connections with the law enforcement system and the customs service in Moscow,” Putin said.

“Investigators of the prosecutor’s office worked well, wrote the entire volumes, and the court will understand what jurists they are,” Putin emphasized.

Meanwhile, he recalled that the presumption of innocence is effective in Russia. “Several suspects were arrested, they are not guilty, until a verdict is passed. Until this I believe it wrong to declare them guilty,” he pointed out. Read more »