Russian investigators to search Transdniestria's Central Bank, Businessinvestbank
MOSCOW. April 4 (Interfax) - The Russian Investigative Committee has obtained a warrant to conduct a search at two Transdniestrian banks, the Central Bank and Businessinvestbank, as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement of 160 million rubles of Russian humanitarian aid by members of former Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov's family, Kommersant reported on Wednesday.
"To dot the i's and cross the t's, Russian investigators plan to conduct searches at these banks and seize some documents in the near future. Moscow's Basmanny Court has issued a sanction for this," Kommersant said citing an Investigative Committee source.
Oleg Smirnov, a son of ex-President Igor Smirnov, and former Transdniestrian Central Bank Deputy Chairman Oleg Brizitsky are considered suspects.
The investigation believes that, between November 2008 and November 2009, Brizitsky, acting in collusion with Smirnov, embezzled and misappropriated money that Russia had provided to Transdniestria as humanitarian aid for paying extra allowances to pensioners and subsidizing the agricultural sector, thus causing Russia damage amounting to about 160 million rubles, the Investigative Committee said.
The Central Bank had transferred 393 million rubles allotted by Russia to Gazprombank from August to December 2008, the newspaper says.
The Investigative Committee believes that part of this sum, i.e. 159.6 million rubles, was stolen by Smirnov and Brizitsky.
Sources familiar with the investigation also told Kommersant that Russian investigators also plan to question former Transdniestrian Central Bank Chair Oksana Ionova, who is currently being held in custody in Tiraspol.
The probe could also affect ex-Transdniestrian President Igor Smirnov's assets, the newspaper said. Smirnov's $800,000 bank account with Businessinvestbank was recently frozen, it said.