Court receives motion on arresting ex-Interior Ministry anti-corruption dept chief Gen. Sugrobov
MOSCOW. May 8 (Interfax) - The investigation has asked Moscow's Basmanny District Court to sanction the arrest of former Interior Ministry economic security and anti-corruption department chief Gen. Denis Sugrobov.
"The court has received a relevant motion from the investigation," Basmanny Court spokesperson Natalya Romanova told Interfax on Thursday.
Sugrobov's defense attorney Georgy Antonov told Interfax his client had been detained earlier on Thursday. "He has been detained and is being brought to a court, where a decision on a restrictive measure in relation to him would be made," he said.
Sugrobov earlier earned the reputation of the main opponent of corruption in the Interior Ministry system in the journalistic community. Some of his deputies and other subordinates were later accused of establishing a criminal group, provoking bribery, and abusing power.
A criminal case on charges of bribery provocation, abuse of office leading to grave consequences, and the organization of a criminal group was opened on February 14 against a number of officers from the Interior Ministry economic crime and anti-corruption department, including high-ranking ones. If found guilty, the defendants, who are currently being held in custody, may face up to 10 years in prison.
The investigation suspects the defendants of trying to provoke Igor Dyomin, a high ranking official from the Federal Security Service (FSB) internal security department, into accepting a bribe in violation of the law on operational and search activities and some other laws and regulations.
President Vladimir Putin relieved Sugrobov of his duties on February 21.
