First deputy chairman of the Russian central bank, Andrei Kozlov, died of gunshot injuries early Thursday morning, a hospital official said.

 

Kozlov was attacked in Oleny Val Street at about 9 PM local time (1700 GMT) on Wednesday, suffering severe wounds to his head, chest and stomach.

 

He was taken to hospital unconscious and died at about 5 AM local time (0100 GMT) on Thursday, the official was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

 

His driver was also killed in the attack, which was carried out by two unidentified gunmen, who fled after the shooting. Moscow police have launched a massive hunt for the gunmen.

 

Former head of the Russian central bank, Viktor Gerashchenko, said that banks engaged in criminal activities could have ordered the assassination of Kozlov.

 

"He was making problems for certain banks. However, he was doing so in compliance with the law. He was likely to have made enemies. It is quite possible that someone lost a profitable, shady business," Interfax quoted Gerashchenko as saying.

 

"This is linked with his professional duties. He was involved in controlling banks and decided who may and may not enter the system of endowment insurance and paid significant attention to those who laundered money," he said.

 

Gerashchenko said that during his time as chairman of Russia's central bank, he did not take a decision to tighten security due to threats to bank employees.

 

"I never had bodyguards. I only had an accompanying vehicle when I went to my country house late at night. I did not tighten security because someone was threatening the employees of the central bank," Gerashchenko said.

 

Another former head of the Russian central bank, Sergei Dubinin, whose apartment windows were fired at in March 1996, said the murder of Kozlov was a great loss for the country.

 

"This is a challenge to state's policy in the banking area. The authorities should solve the crime and find not only the actual murderers, but also those who ordered Kozlov's assassination. The authorities should prove that today's stability is not a mere name," he said.

 

Mikhail Grishankov, chairman of the State Duma's commission for anti-corruption, said that "corrupted officials might be involved in the high-profile murder."

 

Kozlov, 41, had been first deputy chairman of the central bank since 2002, and held the same position in 1997-1999.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2006)