Defense lawyers for Levon Hayrapetyan, the Russian-Armenian businessman-philanthropist arrested in Moscow last week, have appealed against the law enforcement authorities' decision to keep their client behind bars, Tert.am reported.

“We appeal to the Moscow City Court to replace the ruling, because it is illegal and groundless,” lawyer Ruben Margaryan told the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS.

Official charges are due this Thursday, July 24.

The 65-year-old businessman was detained over alleged links with a criminal group. Russian law enforcers also imposed a lien on his shares of $900,000 in the oil company Bashneft. Hayrapetyan refuses to plead guilty in money laundering case in which he is allegedly involved.

A testimony by Igor Izmestev, a former senator now serving a life sentence, is said to have led to Hayrapetyan’s arrest.