Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister held over bribery accusations
The Hindu
Russian Deputy Defence Minister remanded in custody for large bribes, linked to corruption in military procurement and Ukraine rebuilding.
A Russian Deputy Defence Minister exposed in an investigation by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team was remanded in custody on April 24 on suspicion of taking large bribes.
The arrest of Timur Ivanov, a long-time ally of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, is the most dramatic corruption case in Russia in recent years. It comes as spending on the military has ballooned amid its offensive on Ukraine.
Mr. Ivanov, 48, oversaw construction and procurement for the armed forces, and was linked to Russia's high-profile rebuilding of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, occupied by Moscow's forces.
"The Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation was sent to a pre-trial detention centre," the press service for Moscow courthouses said in a statement on social media.
He faces up to 15 years in prison for bribe-taking "on a particularly large scale", it added.
Mr. Ivanov denies the charges, his lawyer told the state-run TASS news agency.
Several independent Russian media outlets have alleged that Mr. Ivanov and his family acquired vast wealth through kick-backs on contracts he agreed at the Ministry.
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