Top banker found dead after torture

On Thursday afternoon, Oleg Zhukovsky was found lying in the empty swimming pool of his country house in the Odintsovo district near Moscow, Russian business newspaper, der Kommersant reports.

Investigators said that although a suicide note had been found, the body showed signs of having been tied up and tortured and the house showed evidence of having been broken into.

The note found in the house read: "I am tired of living. I ask you not to blame anyone", and handwriting analysts are now studying the script.

Officials said that a plastic bag had been put over Mr Zhukovsky's head and the banker, who had heart problems, could have died while being tortured.

A senior official at VTB told RIA Novosti: "Colleagues of Mr Zhukovsky had not noticed any apparent motivation for suicide. The late banker had planned to proceed with his work in the bank."

Mr Zhukovsky had supervised VTB's deals with major timber companies and rumours abound that much of the country's timber industry is controlled by gangsters.