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More arrests in de Margerie crash

Snowplow driver main suspect in crash that left Total boss dead.

By Daniel J. Graeber

MOSCOW, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A Moscow court Friday said an air traffic controller will stay jailed until December during a probe into a crash that left the CEO of French company Total dead.

The court said controller Alexander Kruglov will stay in custody until Dec. 21 on suspicion he shared blame in the Monday crash that left the head of Total, Christophe de Margerie, and three crew members dead.

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The judge in the case said the court feared Kruglov would destroy evidence or otherwise interfere with the investigation.

The plane carrying de Margerie struck a snowplow while taking off for Paris from the Moscow runway.

The driver of the snowplow, Vladimir Martynenko, has been arrested and was said to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Alexei Morozov, head of an aviation investigation committee, said traffic controllers hadn't received a request from Martynenko to cross in front of the plane carrying de Margerie.

"The runway was unobstructed when the traffic controller was clearing the plane for take off," he said Thursday.

Total said Wednesday it named former refining director Patrick Pouyanne as chief executive officer and former CEO Thierry Desmarest as the chairman of the board of directors, splitting de Margerie's role between two executives.

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