Russian authorities have arrested senior executives at Carlsberg’s seized subsidiary Baltika Breweries under criminal charges of fraud as the battle over the rights to the Danish brewer’s brand licences escalates.
The ministry of internal affairs raided Baltika’s St Petersburg office and arrested two executives for allegedly stealing Baltika’s intellectual property, weeks after the Danish brewer tried to block Baltika from selling its international brands such as Tuborg and Kronenbourg.
The raids come as Baltika Breweries has been placed under “temporary management” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaving Carlsberg with title to the shares but no operational control of its subsidiary.