Related News
Ex-Russian minister faces charge of negligence
Print Edition
Criminal charges were filed yesterday against the former Russian defense minister, who was accused of using servicemen and government funds to build a road to a vacation home and do landscaping work on the property.
Anatoly Serdyukov was dismissed a year ago over suspected fraud at the Defense Ministry.
Serdyukov is charged with negligence and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. He denies any wrongdoing.
Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said Serdyukov had used railroad troops to build a road to an island in the southern Astrakhan region and conscripts from an air force unit to do landscaping around a vacation home there. “So instead of serving and being trained in military affairs, some soldiers were busy planting poplar trees,” Markin said.
Although the vacation home officially belonged to the Defense Ministry, it was only during this year’s investigation that the property was put on the ministry’s books, the spokesman said.
Serdyukov caused damages to the state of 56 million rubles (US$1.7 million), Markin said, adding the investigation was still under way and more charges could be filed.
The investigators have already targeted some of his associates, including Yevgeniya Vasilyeva, the former head of the ministry’s property department who widespread media reports say was having an affair with Serdyukov.
She was charged with fraud related to the sale of military assets. The Investigative Committee said in October that it had confiscated 57,000 diamonds, rubies and emeralds and 19 kilograms of gold and platinum jewelry from her.
In recent weeks, Vasilyeva, who has remained under house arrest in her posh apartment in downtown Moscow, has issued a series of statements insisting on her innocence.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
