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The Oboronservis criminal case is being investigated actively

New criminal episodes with new details are being exposed in the criminal case that caused the dismissal of Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov

New criminal episodes with new details and the cases of major misappropriations and fraud are being exposed in the criminal case that caused the dismissal of Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. On Thursday, first charges will be issued in the high-profile criminal case over Oboronservis criminal schemes with military property.

Another criminal episode of the criminal case, which is being investigated more and more intensively, is the sale of the oil transhipping complex in the Murmansk Region, the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily reported. Oboronservis sold the complex that costs about 700 million roubles for 455 million roubles.

The prosecutor’s inquiry found the signs of a gross fraud, which was committed by an organized criminal group, abuse of power that entailed grave consequences, the abuse of office by an official in detriment to the interests of the service that entailed grave consequences in this criminal case.

Along with this, military prosecutors stated about the criminal materials found in another inquiry submitted in the investigative bodies over an attempted sale of a stake and real estate in Moscow that was owned by another joint stock company incorporated in Oboronservis at the understated price of 350 million roubles.

On Thursday, first accusations will be brought in a high-profile criminal case over criminal schemes with military property, the Kommersant daily reported. Recently arrested former head of the centre of legal support Expert Yekaterina Smetanova and former head of a military arms depot Maxim Zakutailo will be accused of a massive fraud. For eight days since the arrest of suspects Smetanova and Zakutailo the detectives have succeeded to receive tens of testimonies, which prove the involvement of the arrested in the crimes incriminated to them, the Investigation Committee explained to the newspaper.

The newspaper noted that the fate of former head of the department of proprietary relations of the Defence Ministry, member of the Oboronservis board of directors Yevgeniya Vasilyeva and former Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, which was fired due to the scandal, will depend directly from the testimony of the arrested. If businesspeople Smetanova and Zakutailo confirm to the detectives, that they acted under the instructions from Vasilyeva (detained accomplice in the military property fraud case Dmitry Mityayev gave testimony about this fact), and for her part, the latter will decide to cooperate with the investigators, former minister Serdyukov will have a procedural status.

The Investigation Committee noted that the number of figurants is getting larger, some witnesses may become suspects, the Vechernya Moskva daily reported. If necessary the Investigation Committee is ready to interrogate Anatoly Serdyukov.