Russian Investigators Drop Murder Charges Against St. Petersburg Businessman Ilya Traber

Russia's Investigative Committee has terminated the criminal case against St. Petersburg businessman Ilya Traber tied to the 2020 contract killing of a local politician and business rival, Russian media reported Monday. Investigators concluded the 75-year-old had no role in the crime, his lawyer Igor Sochiyants told the state news agency TASS, confirming the murder charges against his client had been withdrawn.

According to the St. Petersburg outlet Fontanka, Traber is now legally entitled to seek compensation from the state for his wrongful detention. The decision to drop the case came days after he was released last Thursday from Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow on health grounds.

Fontanka, citing no sources, reported that since his release Traber has held a series of meetings with government officials and business figures. Russian authorities have not issued any public comment on either his release or the dropped charges.

Traber was detained on June 17 and accused of ordering the October 2020 killing of politician Alexander Petrov, who was shot outside his home near the town of Vyborg in the Leningrad region. The Kremlin has previously acknowledged that Traber had ties to President Vladimir Putin dating back to his early political career.

During the 1990s, Traber built a major shipping and port business empire in northwestern Russia. He reportedly gave up ownership stakes in at least four large companies during his two months in custody.