Minister of Economic Development of Russia was detained for accepting a bribe

Фото: Depositphotos

The detention of the minister for a bribe is a unique case for Russia. A broad anti-corruption campaign in recent years led to arrests several governors (for example, the former head of the Kirov region, Nikita Belykh), high-ranking officers of the Investigation Committee and federal officials as deputy ministers, but not yet concerned with government ministers Dmitry Medvedev.

The uniqueness of the situation is not only about who was detained by law enforcement agencies, but also about how it became known: the UK published a press release on 2: 33 nights, Moscow time. Later it was reported that Alexei Ulyukayev got money "during the investigative experiment," which was held on November 14 "under the control of the security forces."

RIA News, citing the source transmitsthat the reason for the operation was the results of the interception of the minister and his entourage, Interfax - that the permission to wiretap from the court was obtained at the end of the summer. "Life" reports that the authorities watched and for the correspondence of the minister.

The detention of Alexei Ulyukayev is connected with the purchase by Rosneft of a 50% of Bashneft shares, which were in state ownership. The press release of the SC says that Alexey Ulyukaev received $2 million for the position of the Ministry of Economic Development, which allowed Rosneft to make a deal. Later, the UK said they were talking about extortion, and Ulyukayev allegedly threatened the representatives of Rosneft.

The privatization of Bashneft, which took place in October of 2016, was indeed strange — it passed without competition, although several companies expressed their interest in the asset. In addition, another company became the buyer of state property, which (through Rosneftegaz) is more than half owned by the state. This privatization scheme caused controversy between officials.

The same Ulyukayev at the end of July said that he considers Rosneft to be an “inappropriate buyer” for Bashneft. Together with him against the deal were Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, as well as presidential adviser and former Minister of Economic Development Andrei Belousov. However, the transaction took place, the order to sell Bashneft was signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

President Vladimir Putin has distantly distanced himself from the privatization scheme: “You know, it may seem strange to you, I myself was a little surprised by this position of the government. But this is really the position of the government of the Russian Federation, first of all its financial and economic bloc, ”the president commented on the deal.

The UK has already stated that the transaction itself is not the subject of an investigation; Rosneft said that they acquired Bashneft legally.

The detention of Ulyukayev and his arrest will hit hard on the financial and economic bloc of the government. Ulyukaev almost all his life he worked in various positions in the government and the Central Bank. He is one of the few close associates of Yegor Gaidar who remained in power: economists met in the 1980s, at the beginning of the 1990's Ulyukayev was an adviser to Gaidar when he worked in the government; in 1999, Ulyukayev ran for the Duma from the Union of Right Forces, but lost. It is noteworthy that the scheme of detention after the transfer of money under the control of law enforcement agencies was also used in the arrest of another former SPS member, Nikita Belykh; Then it was about the amount in 400 thousand euros in cash.

As Minister of Economic Development, Ulyukaev supported reforms related to the reduction of state control over the economy, in particular, privatization, even under unfavorable financial conditions. His ministry was not afraid to make tough forecasts - in particular, the Ministry of Economic Development in October suggested that in the coming 20 years the country's economy will face stagnation, GDP growth rates will be lower than the world average. At the same time, Ulyukaev said that, in general, the country's economy has adapted to new foreign policy conditions, including sanctions.

Who will lead the ministry if the court arrests Ulyukaev is still unknown. Dmitry Medvedev did not comment on the detention; Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that “the prosecution requires serious evidence.”

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