Russian Education Ministry official denies fraud charge
MOSCOW. Feb 14 (Interfax) - Felix Shamkhalov, who has been dismissed as head of the Supreme Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of Russia's Education and Science Ministry after being accused of large-scale fraud, pleads innocent, his lawyer Mikhail Oleinik said on Thursday, the day Shamkhalov was charged.
The prosecution claims that Shamkhalov was party to a conspiracy that resulted in "the theft of about 1.5 billion rubles belonging to Vnesheconombank [VEB]."
"We don't know where this 1.5 billion rubles comes from, we'll try to find out," Oleinik told Interfax.
Shamkhalov, who is in custody, and Anton Solovarov, general director of the Zarechye-2 company, have been questioned about the alleged embezzlement of 350 million rubles lent by VEB for building an elite residential development.
Shamkhalov denied involvement in the alleged theft of the loan. "What this whole story is about is a corporate raid on the VEB and the management company, they just want to settle accounts with me," he said.
