Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin will flout a fourth subpoena in the Ulyukayev bribery trial

Judge Larisa Semenova of Moscow’s Zamoskoretsky Court has subpoenaed Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin for a fourth time. After refusing to appear in court three times already, Sechin is now ordered to present himself for questioning on November 27.

The oil executive has said repeatedly that he is too busy at work to attend the corruption trial against former Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukayev, who accuses Sechin of framing him for bribery.

On November 22, Sechin’s legal representatives told the court that he won’t be free until at least next year. Instead of appearing in court, he has invited the judge to read out the testimony he previously gave to investigators.

Alexey Ulyukayev was arrested in mid-November 2016 on charges of extorting a $2-million bribe from Igor Sechin for greenlighting Rosneft’s acquisition of a stake in the oil company Bashneft.

In the case materials, there is an audio recording of a conversation between Ulyukayev and Sechin on the day Ulyukayev was arrested. The recording indicates that Sechin gave him some kind of gift.