MOSCOW, May 23 (RAPSI) – A court in Russia’s Chita city will consider a criminal case against ex-Agriculture Minister of the Zabaikalsky Krai Mikhail Kuzminov charged with abuse of authority, the website of the Prosecutor General’s Office reads.

Indictment in the case has been approved against Kuzminov and his former deputy, according to the statement.

Investigators believe that the former officials misled 11 local agricultural producers, subject to subsidies, and illegally demanded that they fulfilled certain conditions after receipt of compensations to relieve emergency consequences caused by drought in 2016.

They initiated adoption of the illegal decision on early redemption of subsidies that led to their seizure in the amount of 12 million rubles (over $185,000) and caused damages totaling to more than 21 million rubles (about $325,000). Later, the returned sums were transferred through a fund to affiliated persons as soft loans, the statement reads.

Kuzminov was arrested in February 2018.