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Two Pacific Fleet officers arrested for extorting bribes

On Thursday, the Vladivostok Garrison Military Court granted the petition of the military investigator to take the suspects into custody

MOSCOW, May 4 (Itar-Tass) — Two senior officers of the Russian Pacific Fleet have been arrested in Vladivostok for extorting bribes from their subordinates.

The press service of the Chief Military Investigation Department (GVSU) of the Russian Investigative Committee (SK) told Itar-Tass that a criminal case under Article 290, part 5 of the RF Criminal Code – “Large-scale bribe-taking by a group of persons by previous concert” has been opened against head of Pacific Fleet’s search and rescue operations department Captain 1st Rank Andrei Bakhvalov and Commander of military unit No 20293 Captain 1st Rank Pavek Bozhok.

“The investigators have established that in the period from January 18 to March 31, 2010, Bakhvalov, who was at that time commander of military unit No 20293, banned any diving operations, except emergency ones, by which deprived his subordinate civilian divers of the opportunity to get appropriate additional payments, which made the lion’s share of their wages,” the GVSU said.

At the same time, according to investigators, for lifting this ban Bakhvalov asked the divers to monthly give to the command part of the funds provided as additional payments for diving. “According to the investigation, the extortions continued from April 2010 to November 2011,” the press service said.

On Thursday, the Vladivostok Garrison Military Court granted the petition of the military investigator to take the suspects into custody.

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