OREANDA-NEWS. The Wall Street Journal reported that in the United States, two businessmen of Soviet descent Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who are considered to be close to the lawyer of US President Rudolph Giuliani, were detained. They were accused of violating finance rules of electoral campaign.

According to the publication, on the night of October 9, they tried to fly to the Austrian capital. Parnas and Fruman’s case will be considered by a federal judge in Virginia later on October 10.

In May 2019, Giuliani said that the detainees were his clients.

According to the magazine, both businessmen donated 325 thousand dollars to the campaign of the Republican Party, as well as to the campaign of Donald Trump through the foundation named America First Action.

The New York Times reported that the Attorney for the Southern District of New York pressed charges against four Americans. In addition to Parnass and Fruman, Andrei Kukushkin (also a native of the USSR) and David Correia were accused.

Earlier, media reported that businessmen Parnas and Fruman, associated with US President Trump and his lawyer Giuliani, tried to change management in the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. Their plan was foiled by the loss of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the presidential election. Former Trump’s advocate John M. Dawd, who now represents the interests of Parnas and Fruman, said that Naftogaz’s executives themselves asked his clients to help conclude the deal. According to him, it was within the framework of legitimate business.