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Putin dismisses Ulyukayev as economy minister

According to the court's decision, the economy minister will be placed under house arrest and wear ankle monitor

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

SOCHI, November 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree relieving Aleksey Ulyukayev of his duties as Russia’s economic development minister, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to relieve Aleksey Ulyukayev of his duties over the loss of confidence," the press service said.

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Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said earlier Ulyukayev had been detained late on Monday as he received a sum of two million U.S. dollars as a bribe in exchange for the economic ministry’s positive appraisal that allowed the oil major Rosneft to buy out from the state a 50.08% stake in the oil company Bashneft. Petrenko added that the extortion of the bribe was accompanied by threats against Rosneft representatives.

Petrenko said however that the investigators had no questions to ask about the sale of the Bashneft stake proper and that the acquisition of shares was not a subject matter of the investigation.

Ulyukayev has been indicted under part 6 of article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code (bribe-taking). Moscow’s Basmanny district court has ruled to place him under house arrest till January 15.

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Alexey Ulyukayev Russia's domestic policy

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