A relative of former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has donated his elite resort on the Volga river to the state, paving the way for investigators to close a criminal case in which Serdyukov was questioned as a witness, a news report said Monday.
Serdyukov's brother-in-law, businessman Valery Puzikov, and his business partner Artur Pozov, handed over their shares in the Zhitnoye resort, worth $4.5 million, to two state organizations affiliated with the Defense Ministry — the Grekov Studio of Military Painters in Moscow and the Kubinka Tank Museum in the Moscow region, Kommersant reported.
Zhitnoye was developed mainly by the ministry's troops on the orders of Serdyukov, who personally controlled the funding for the resort's construction, the report said, citing military investigators.
Troops laid an 8-kilometer-long road to the resort from the nearest village and planted trees and grass on the resort's premises.
Investigators opened a criminal case against unidentified Defense Ministry officials on charges of abuse of authority, which carry a maximum sentence of years in prison.
By giving up his share at the resort, Puzikov in fact paid back the money spent on the resort's development to the state, taking away the need to pursue the criminal case any further, unnamed experts told Kommersant.
The probe into the resort's construction is yet another episode in the high-profile criminal case into the embezzlement of state funds and property at Oboronservis, a company affiliated with the Defense Ministry.
Serdyukov who served as Defense Minister between 2007 and 2012 often vacationed at Zhitnoye with friends, including President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, before Putin fired him in November over an investigation into large-scale embezzlement at the ministry, Kommersant reported.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
