MOSCOW, June 21 (RAPSI) - The Khamovnichesky District Court in Moscow on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Dinara Bilyalova on suspicion of involvement in the embezzlement scandal at the Defense Ministry, RIA Novosti reports citing Interior Ministry information.
Bilyalova, former general director of the Expert Legal Support Center, is suspected of large-scale fraud.
According to the investigators, Expert acted as the selling agent for the Defense Ministry's movable and immovable property after it signed contracts to that purpose in 2011. "Within 18 months thereafter, over 123 million rubles ($3.8 million) of agency fees were transferred to the company's accounts. However, an inspection showed that Expert did not honor its commitments as an agent," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
A criminal case was opened following the inspection and incorporated into the fraud case at Oboronservice, a state-run military contractor.
The company made headlines last year for its alleged involvement in the embezzlement of billions of rubles from the Defense Ministry. A string of corruption scandals led to the sacking of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in November 2012 following a separate investigation into suspected fraud totaling over 13 billion rubles ($433 million) from the illegal sale of Defense Ministry property involving Oboronservice. Several Oboronservice employees were arrested late last year.
Former head of the Expert Legal Support Center Yekaterina Smetanova and her Maxim Zakutailo, formerly in charge of the warehouses of the Moscow Air Force District, are among suspects in the Oboronservice fraud case. Smetanova entered into plea bargain and was released under restriction notice after spending several months in pretrial detention in February.
During his annual Q&A session with the public held in April, President Vladimir Putin gave assurances that the Oboronservice criminal case would reach a proper conclusion. He emphasized that the investigation was being carried out fairly and without prejudice.
