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Former senior Russian investigator questioned in bribe-taking case denies any wrongdoing

The investigative team would demand Alexander Drymanov’s arrest, according to the source

MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is questioning former Head of the Investigative Committee’s Moscow Main Investigative Department Alexander Drymanov suspected of bribe-taking but the suspect denies any wrongdoing, a source in law-enforcement agencies told TASS on Tuesday.

"Drymanov is being questioned as a suspect. He denies taking a bribe or any other misdemeanor in office," the source said, adding that the investigative team would demand Drymanov’s arrest.

Another informed source told TASS that Drymanov’s involvement in corruption was confirmed by a number of proofs.

"The detective and search measures have established Drymanov’s complicity in abuses of office and this is confirmed by a number of gathered evidences and eye-witnesses’ testimony," the source said.

The source earlier said that the detention of 50-year-old Drymanov was linked with the corruption case against former high-ranking officers of Russia’s Investigative Committee: Drymanov’s former first deputy Denis Nikandrov, Head of the Internal Security Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee Mikhail Maksimenko and Deputy Head of the Investigative Committee’s Internal Security Department Alexander Lamonov.

As the source said, both Nikandrov and Lamonov gave testimony against Drymanov.

At a session of the Moscow City Court on January 23 that examined the criminal case of Mikhail Maksimenko, state prosecutor Boris Loktionov stated that Drymanov had also been involved in the talks on requalifying the case against crime boss Andrei Kochuikov. At that time, he was a witness in the criminal probe. On March 6, the court heard the testimony by Nikandrov who claimed that he had given a 10,000 euro bribe to his boss. Drymanov, however, denied any bribe taking. In the autumn of last year, searches were held in Drymanov’s office.

It was reported in early June that general Drymanov had tendered his resignation, submitting a request for his retirement from service. His request was satisfied but the presidential decree on his resignation was not issued.

Case against high-ranking investigators

Maksimenko, Lamonov and Nikandrov were detained in July 2016 and are accused under part 6, article 290 of Russia’s Criminal Code ("Large-Scale Bribe Taking by an Official or a Group of Persons by Previous Concert").

Pursuant to the case files, they entered into criminal conspiracy with crime boss Zakhariy Kalashov (nicknamed Young Shakro) and took a $500,000 bribe for requalifying the accusations into more lenient charges and subsequently releasing crime boss Andrei Kochuikov (nicknamed the Italian) - one of the participants in the shootout near a restaurant in central Moscow.

The case files of Nikandrov and Lamonov were detached into separate proceedings as they fully admitted their guilt and agreed to cooperate with the investigators. Maksimenko was sentenced to 13 years in a strict-security prison.