Russia's former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, ousted amid a 2012 corruption scandal then pardoned by President Vladimir Putin last year, is again facing an investigation over a dubious property deal, the Izvestia newspaper reported Wednesday, citing an assistant to the district's military prosecutor.
Serdyukov, seen as one of Putin's most loyal allies before the initial scandal broke in 2012, signed an agreement that year to give a Defense Ministry-owned sports complex including a stadium and swimming pool to the government of the Novosibirsk region for free, the newspaper reported.
The regional administration was then supposed to build a new sports complex and give it to the Defense Ministry by late 2013, but that part of the deal didn't happen, the report said.
An inquiry is currently under way to determine whether the agreement was legal, Alexei Okatyev, an assistant to the military prosecutor of the Central Military District, told Izvestia. The agreement was reportedly also signed by the region's then-Governor Vasily Yurchenko, whom Putin personally fired last year due to a "loss of confidence" in the official — a phrase frequently employed by the Kremlin when removing officials from their posts amid corruption allegations.
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.