Radio RT Quoting the Russian Investigation Committee (RIC) said that on the evening of April 23 (local time) it arrested Deputy Minister of Defense Ivanov on charges of accepting bribes.
The move to arrest official Ivanov came as a surprise because just a few hours before he had participated in a high-level meeting chaired by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.
RIC did not provide detailed information about Mr. Ivanov’s arrest, but only stated that this military official was suspected of accepting “large-scale” bribes – an act defined in the Russian criminal code as accepting bribes to to more than 1 million rubles (more than 10,500 USD). If convicted, Mr. Ivanov could face up to 15 years in prison.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov appeared at the Basmanny court in Moscow on April 24. Photo: RT
A source from the TASS news agency said the investigative agency had been following Mr. Ivanov’s case for a long time, “not since yesterday or just a month ago.”
Page lenta.ru Citing private sources, he also confirmed that the investigation targeting Mr. Ivanov has lasted at least 5 years.
The latest information also revealed that a number of accomplices were arrested along with Deputy Minister Ivanov. One of those suspects had to appear before a court in Moscow today (April 24).
This person’s identity was identified as Sergey Borodin, who was mentioned in the Russian press 2 years ago. At that time, Colonel Sergey Borodin pleaded guilty in a criminal case related to the embezzlement of large plots of land owned by the Russian military.
Mr. Borodin agreed to testify against other individuals involved in the criminal conspiracy. The corruption is said to have lasted more than a decade and caused losses of at least 900 million rubles.
Suspect Sergey Borodin appeared in court. Photo: RT
RT said Mr. Ivanov has been in charge of civil engineering programs of the Russian Ministry of Defense since 2013. He was appointed deputy minister of Defense of Russia in 2016.
He also served as a deputy when Mr. Shoigu briefly served as Governor of the Moscow region in 2012.
