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Russian colonel's DNA not found on infamous confiscated 8 billion rubles cash

Colonel Zakharchenko was arrested on charges of bribe-taking and abuse of office

Dmitry Zakharchenko Dmitry Serebryakov/TASS

Dmitry Zakharchenko

© Dmitry Serebryakov/TASS

MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. Experts have not found any traces of DNA belonging to the former deputy chief of department of the Interior Ministry’s economic security and resistance to corruption directorate, Dmitry Zakharchenko, accused of corruption-related crimes, his lawyer Alexander Gorbatenko told TASS.

"Zakharchenko voluntarily presented DNA samples for comparing it with the DNA found on the packs of cash. No biological traces that might be attributed to him have been identified either in the apartment or on the cash packs found there," Gorbatenko said.

The lawyer added he had no knowledge whose DNA was identified on the banknotes.

Zakharchenko case

Colonel Zakharchenko was arrested on charges of bribe-taking and abuse of office. The court ruling said that in January 2016 he had obtained information about a forthcoming search in the home of Nota-bank’s CFO Galina Marchukova and warned her of the detective measures to be taken in connection with the investigation of a tax evasion criminal case by one of the bank’s clients - JSC Elektrozavod.

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Police seize cash bonanza during vehicle search of senior anti-corruption official

Also, Zakharchenko is charged with several instances of bribe-taking. The investigators argue that he had received seven million rubles from the former chief and co-owner of the company Rusengineering, Anatoly Pshegornitsky, and $800,000 from the owner of La Mare restaurant Mehdi Douss.

From the same source, investigators claim, Zakharchenko obtained a considerable material benefit - a 50% discount card from the restaurant 3.5 million rubles worth. Also, businessman Avsholum Yunayev reportedly paid 800,000 rubles for Zakharchenko’s deluxe vacation in Sochi, which was also interpreted as a bribe.

Billions in Moscow apartments

When an apartment on Lomonosovsky Prospekt in Moscow was searched in connection with the Zakharchenko case, a large amount of cash was seized - more than 124 million US dollars, nearly 1.5 million euros and more than 342 million rubles. Another 19.5 million rubles, 600,000 euros and 20,000 dollars was found in another apartment on Michurinsky Prospekt. Thirteen million rubles, 170,000 dollars and 5,000 euros was retrieved from Zakharchenko’s car and more than 16 million US dollars was discovered on the bank accounts of Zakharchenko’s female friend.

A court in December 2017 ruled that all this cash, as well as 13 apartments, 14 car parking spots, four cars and a 500-gram gold bar, should be converted to government revenue.

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