Man held in Kozlov killing probe

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Russian police have arrested a man on suspicion of ordering the murder of one of the country's top bankers.

The suspect is now being questioned in connection with the murder of deputy central bank chairman Andrei Kozlov who was shot dead in Moscow last year.

Mr Kozlov's involvement in a drive to clean-up the Russian banking sector is widely believed to be the motive behind the contract killing.

The unnamed businessman is the seventh person to be arrested in the probe.

"His name is not divulged in the interests of the investigation," an official for the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office said.

"At present, seven people have been detained in the case, including perpetrators and go-betweens," the official added.

As part of a campaign to tackle money laundering and organised crime within the country's financial system, Mr Kozlov was responsible for the closure of dozens of banks alleged to have been acting illegally.

The brazen nature of Mr Kozlov's death and several other high-profile killings last year prompted President Vladimir Putin to pledge that the killers would be brought to justice.

Mr Kozlov was attacked by two gunmen in the grounds of the Moscow Spartak football club after a match between central bank employees on 13 September. He later died in hospital.