Belarus to open criminal case against Uralkali's major shareholder

Belarus will launch a criminal probe against Suleiman Kerimov, a major shareholder of Russian potash fertilizer producer Uralkali, the Investigative Committee's spokesman Pavel Traulko said Thursday. The materials that had come to the committee gave ground for initiating a criminal case against Kerimov as well as other suspects, including Belarussian nationals, Traulko said. The statement came only days after Uralkali's chief executive Vladislav Baumgertner was arrested in Minsk Monday following a meeting with the country's prime minister. Baumgertner was detained on suspicion of abusing his power over Uralkali's decision to quit Belarussian Potash Company, which Belarussian investigators say has caused about 100 million U.S. dollars in damage to Belarus. Baumgertner's detention has drawn a fierce rebuke from Moscow. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov told reporters in Moscow on Monday that the move was "odd, inappropriate and not fitting to a partnership." Kerimov, a Russian businessman and investor, has a wealth of 7.1 billion U.S. dollars as of March 2013, according to Forbes' list of the World's Billionaires.