Russia arrests deputy defence minister suspected of corruption
Al Jazeera
Timur Ivanov, who was in charge of military construction and repair contracts, is suspected of taking bribes ‘on a particularly large scale’.
Russia has arrested Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov on organised corruption charges in the most high-profile case since the start of the country’s all-out war on Ukraine.
A brief statement by Russia’s Investigative Committee citing a statute for accepting bribes “on a particularly large scale” said on Wednesday that the arrest was made a day earlier.
State media showed brief footage of the military official standing in a Moscow court. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted.
Ivanov will be held under a detention order for two months, according to the TASS news agency, which said a man named Sergei Borodin has also been taken into custody on suspicion of complicity in receiving bribes by Ivanov.
The 48-year-old deputy defence minister oversaw military construction and repairs and is accused of taking part in a “criminal conspiracy” in managing contracts that greatly benefitted him personally, reportedly contributing to a lavish lifestyle.
