Central Bank Chief Andrei Kozlov

Russian investigators believe they have solved the murder of deputy central bank chief Andrei Kozlov who was shot dead in Moscow, the chief prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Kozlov, who as Russia’s chief banking supervisor led a crusade to clean up the murky financial sector, was shot in a gangland-style “hit” on Sept. 13 and died the following day.

Officials later said three people had been arrested and had confessed to having been hired by an unknown person to carry out the contract killing.

However, investigators have so far been unable to say who was behind the murder which cast a shadow over one of the main achievements of President Vladimir Putin’s presidency — the revival of law and order.

“In the course of the investigation a number of people, directly linked to the murder, have been arrested so the crime is considered solved,” Prosecutor-General Yuri Chaika told a news conference on Tuesday.

Chaika made no further comments and it was not clear whether investigators were still tracking the organisers of Kozlov’s killing.

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