Investigators have returned to former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov 40 phones previously confiscated from him during a high-profile corruption investigation, a news report said Monday.
"The lawyers of the former minister appealed to the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office with a complaint stating it was necessary to return about 40 phones made by Blackberry, Nokia and others. The supervisory authority felt that the demands by the lawyers were justified, and required investigators to return the property, which was done," the TASS news agency reported Monday, citing an unidentified source close to the investigation.
Serdyukov was dismissed from office in 2012 amid allegations of large-scale corruption that put a massive dent in the state budget. Serdyukov was accused of signing off on the allocation of funds to build a road to a holiday resort belonging to his brother-in-law. He was later charged with negligence in the case, but was granted amnesty.
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