Detectives request arrest of Russian Interior Ministry's Kolesnikov - source
MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Detectives will file a request for the arrest of deputy chief of the Russian Interior Ministry Main Economic Crime and Anti-Corruption Department Boris Kolesnikov who was apprehended on Tuesday on suspicion of abuse of office, a source familiar with the situation told Interfax.
"Detectives will request that the court arrest B. Kolesnikov," he said.
"Kolesnikov was summoned to an investigator for questioning on Monday, after which he was detained," a source told Interfax on Tuesday. Another four officers of the department were put under arrest. They were initially accused of abuse of office and extortion. The extortion charge was later dropped.
The detectives said that the officers were gathering information and conducting surveillance on a senior Federal Security Service official in violation of the investigative operations law and some other legislative acts.
Kolesnikov was apprehended after one of the officers detained earlier started to testify, the source said.
He stressed that no charges had been brought against Kolesnikov as of yet.
Two civilians involved in the investigative operations on the FSB officer were placed under house arrest. The total number of suspects in the high profile case has reached seven.
The Kremlin press service had reported on February 21 that President Vladimir Putin had relieved Police Lt. Gen. Denis Sugrobov of his duties as chief of the Interior Ministry's economic crimes and anti-corruption department.
This was preceded by media reports on the initiation of a criminal investigation on abuse of office charges against a number of high-ranking officials from the economic crimes and anti-corruption department and the detention of eight people, including two deputy heads of the ministry's directorate dealing with crimes in the budget sector, Ivan Kosourov and Alexei Bodnar.
A source from Sugrobov's entourage said later that the official had tendered his resignation back on February 17. The source pointed out that a number of high-ranking department officials had been searched on February 15.
