News

Today military investigators of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have charged former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov with negligence involving damage on massive scale (part 1 of article 293 of the RF Penal Code).

The investigators believe that Serdyukov orally ordered his subordinates to build on the Defense Ministry’s money a motorway from the village of Kras in Astrakhan Region to the Shkolny island, where non-commercial partnership Zhitnoye is located. In addition, on the order of the former Defense Ministry the Zhitnoye was repaired. As a result of his actions the state suffered a loss of over 56 million rubles.

After pressing the charges Serdyukov was questioned as the accused. He did not admitted his guilt in the crime and refused to testify using article 51 of the RF Constitution, which gives right not to testify against oneself.

I would like to explain that it is a preliminary charge, which the investigators obliged by the law to press within 10 days after the restraint was imposed. Now they are going to consolidate the evidence and study more carefully the circumstances of the crime, classify them and only then to bring the final charges, which may be wider and contain more specific classification of Serdyukov’s actions.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                       V.I. Markin