Photo copyright: Sergei Bobylev/TASS
April 23, 2024
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was detained on suspicion of taking a bribe, the Investigative Committee reported.
There are no details about the case against Ivanov yet. The ICR report states that the case was initiated under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code – it refers to a bribe on an especially large scale, that is, from 1 million rubles.
The maximum penalty under this article provides for up to 15 years in prison.
According to Interfax, the investigation will petition for the arrest of the deputy minister. TASS reports with reference to ICR representative Svetlana Petrenko that investigative actions are now being carried out with him.
According to the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin was informed about the detention of Ivanov.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the detention of Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was also informed in advance,” he told reporters.
Ivanov has served as Deputy Defense Minister since 2016 and is considered an ally of Shoigu.
Ivanov is responsible for the procurement of military products and oversees the construction, reconstruction and overhaul of Ministry of Defense facilities, including in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
In November 2022, associates of Alexei Navalny released an investigation into the property and finances of the deputy minister and his wife Svetlana.
According to them, Ivanov and his family spent their summer holidays on the Cote d’Azur in France and also organized fashionable parties.
In 2022, Ivanov came under US and EU sanctions.
Journalist Farida Rustamova notes that Ivanov “is known to the general public as one of the richest security officials.”
“This is perhaps the highest-ranking suspect since the beginning of the war,” she adds.
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