Russian deputy chief of staff detained on suspicions of bribery: Media
Vadim Shamarin detained by authorities on Wednesday, interrogated by investigative authorities, say media reports
Ceremonial soldiers and military vehicles parade on the 79th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia on May 09, 2024.
ISTANBUL
A Russian deputy chief of staff was detained by authorities over suspicion of large-scale bribe taking, the country's investigative body said on Thursday.
Vadim Shamarin, also the head of the army's Main Communications Directorate, was detained on Wednesday as a preventive measure after an investigation found he received 36 million rubles (almost $400,000) from two officials at a company developing and manufacturing hard-wire telephone devices, Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement.
Petrenko said Shamarin received the bribe to "increase the volume of products supplied under government contracts for the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense and general patronage."
"Shamarin disposed of the funds received at his own discretion," she said, adding that the two that bribed him are also in custody and facing criminal charges.
The development comes after the arrest of Ivan Popov, the former commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Armed Forces on suspicion of fraud case.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu was earlier this month replaced by Andrey Belousov, who specializes in economics.
In April, Shoygu’s deputy Timur Ivanov was arrested on corruption charge, while last week Yuriy Kuznetsov, a senior defence ministry official, was arrested in a bribery investigation.
