Third man is detained in a major bribery case that involves Russia's deputy defense minister
A third man has been detained in a bribery case involving a Russian deputy defense minister, Moscow’s court service said Thursday.
It said businessman Alexander Fomin is suspected of paying bribes to Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was detained on Wednesday, as well as Ivanov’s associate, Sergei Borodin. All of the men are to remain in custody until at least June 23.
Ivanov, an ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, was jailed pending an investigation and trial on charges of bribery, court officials said in a statement. He was in charge of military construction projects and was previously accused of living a lavish lifestyle in anti-corruption investigations conducted by the team of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Moscow’s court service said Fomin and Borodin contributed to Ivanov receiving a “particularly large bribe” — an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.