The Interior Ministry asked the court to arrest Merab Sukhumsky, a thief in law, in absentia.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has applied to the Tverskoy Court of Moscow with a motion to arrest in absentia one of the leaders of the Sukhumi thieves' clan, 64-year-old Merab Dzhangveladze, known as Merab Sukhumsky. This was reported by the newspaper Kommersant on April 29.

Dzhangveladze is being held by the accused under Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy"). The date of the court hearing in this case has not yet been set. The arrest in absentia will allow sending materials on Dzhangveladze to the Interpol central office for putting him on the international wanted list. Kommersant also clarified that Dzhangveladze had been living in Italy in recent years.

According to law enforcement officials, Dzhangveladze was "crowned" a "thief in law" in 1985. The investigation believes that the unspoken status of a criminal authority allows him to control the activities of criminal structures in Russia from abroad, RBC clarifies.

They added that after the deaths of well—known crime bosses Aslan Usoyan (Ded Hassan), Sergei Ivankov (Yaponchik) and the arrest of Zakhariy Kalashov (Shakro Molodoy), Dzhangveladze "actually headed the hierarchical ladder in the criminal world."

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The accused faces life imprisonment.

On April 24, the Moscow City Court announced the transfer of the criminal case of Belgorod businessman Vladimir Tebekin, accused of occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy, fraud and illegal banking activities. The reason for the transfer of the case to the capital was the fear of law enforcement officers about the continued influence of Tebekin on government agencies in his native region. The court also pointed out that Tebekin is accused of committing crimes under Article 210.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy") and a number of other articles.