MOSCOW, March 27 (Itar-Tass) — Criminal charges against the former chief of the Moscow Metro underground railway service, Dmitry Gayev, who was suspected of illegally obtaining 112 million roubles as compensation for the use of a fare system he patented, have been dropped, the Investigation Department of the Russian Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The case against Gayev was opened under Article 201 of the RF Criminal Code - abuse of authority. The reason for its opening was a pre-investigation check of materials from the RF Prosecutor General’s Office.
He resigned in 2011 after allegations of fraud and embezzlement came to light. Gayev had been accused of illegally patenting the electronic subway tickets used today that replaced tokens in 1999 and receiving 112 million roubles in patent proceeds over the following 11 years.
“During the investigation, the Investigation Department found that in 1998, Gayev in collaboration with other persons got a patent for the invention named “the automated system of fare collection and verification of travel documents” that was introduced in the Moscow metro a year earlier,” the department reported. “During the investigation, the conclusions of experts in various fields of law were made from which it was established that Gayev had the right to act as a patent holder conclude a license agreement, in accordance with which he was paid 112 million roubles as a reward.”
Gayev’s lawyer Alexander Asnis stated for his part that he was fully satisfied with the conclusions of the investigation. “This is what we sought during the year of the investigation,” he said, noting that the investigation has only confirmed that Gayev “lawfully received compensations under the license agreement.”