A Novosibirsk city court is about to restart the 18-month trial of U.S. pizza businessman Eric Shogren, accused of a large-scale fraud, after the judge hearing the case was replaced, a court official said on Tuesday.
Shogren launched the New York Pizza restaurant chain in Novosibirsk in 1996. In April 2009, he was detained and charged with 17 fraud offenses totaling 15 million rubles ($461,113) but was later released on one-million rubles bail. His trial started in October 2010.
Investigators claim he obtained huge loans from several Russian firms and banks, including Bank of Moscow, but did not repay them.
The trial will restart because Judge Galina Pudovkina, who was hearing the case, left the city court for a regional court, a court official told RIA Novosti.
Shogren denies the charges, saying “he never had any intention of committing any crimes.” Shogren has told the media his company had troubles during the global economic crisis but promised to pay its debts, and pledged not to quit the restaurant business in Russia.