Armor research institute chief arrested in fraud inquiry - Investigative Committee
MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax) - A court in the Moscow region has ordered the arrest of the head of a Defense Ministry research institute, Oleg Tregubenko, who is suspected of fraud and abuses, an Investigative Committee spokesperson said.
"Considering that the investigators had compelling evidence that during and after the investigative procedures Tregubenko took steps aimed at concealing objects and documents of significance to the investigation of the crime and persuaded others to knowingly give false testimony, the court remanded him in custody following the investigator's request," the spokesperson told Interfax on Monday.
The head of a scientific testing center of armor research and development, the Russian Defense Ministry's "Central Research Institute N3", is facing criminal charges under articles 159 (fraud) and 285 (abuse of office) of the Russian Criminal Code, the spokesperson said.
According to the inquiry, in 2011 and 2013 Col. Tregubenko hired individuals as storemen for the materiel-technical procurement and printing department at the Center's editing and publishing department, "who in reality were not performing their work duties and did not show up at workplace."
"Being aware of it, the center chief still signed orders charging salaries and other payments to the bank cards opened in their names, following which payments were cashed in and stolen, in the total amount of over 1.2 million rubles," the spokesperson said.
Also, in the spring of 2013 the officer, having relieved a subordinate from his duties, asked him to write a dissertation for him.
"Again the officer decided to pay for this service at the expense of the federal budget by establishing for the said employee a monthly bonus which, by the time the criminal case was opened, had amounted to over 340,000 rubles," the Investigative Committee said.
The inquiry is carried out by the Investigative Committee's Military Investigative Department for the Odintsovo Garrison, the spokesperson added.
