By Country / Russia
Russian Prosecutors Say British Council Probed Again
January 24, 2006
24 January 2006 -- Prosecutors in the Russian city of St. Petersburg are reopening a probe of the regional branch of the British Council on suspicion of tax evasion.
Russian media say the St. Petersburg police launched an initial investigation last summer before closing the case. The regional prosecutor's office decided to reopen the case on the grounds that there was not enough evidence to halt the probe.
Investigators reportedly suspect the St. Petersburg branch of the council, a nonprofit organization linked to the British government, of avoided paying Russian taxes on English-language courses.
The council's office in St. Petersburg was not immediately available for comment.
(gazeta.ru, AFP)