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Two high-placed customs officials suspected of attempted bribery

Both suspects were detained

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, March 12 (Itar-Tass) – A criminal case was opened in Moscow against high-placed personnel of the central office of the Federal Customs Service /FTS/, the Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

"The Moscow regional investigation department on the transport opened a criminal case against deputy chief of the logistics service of the FTS central office Sergei Vostrikov and head of the finance and accounting service Svetlana Ignatova. They are suspected of an attempt to give a large bribe," Markin said.

The officials' illegal activities were "intercepted by the Investigative Committee jointly with the Audit Chamber and the Federal Security Service," he added.

The investigator said a comprehensive check at the FTS central office found numerous violations of the law in the implementation of state contracts. "Vostrikov and Ignatova entered in criminal collusion between themselves not later than March 7, 2013, in order to bribe the Audit Chamber inspector for taking the exposed violations off the record," Markin said.

On March 11, Vostrikov walked into the office of the Audit Chamber representative and personally handed him over three million roubles. The wrongdoers did not carry their criminal actions through due to the fact that the bribe giving was monitored by FSB agents," the Investigative Committee spokesman underlined.

Both suspects were detained.

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