MOSCOW, August 30 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov) – Former head of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Alexander Reimer pleaded not guilty to embezzlement on Tuesday, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.

Charges have been brought against Reimer, his former deputy Nikolai Krivolapov, director of FSIN’s Information and Technical Support Center Viktor Opredelyonov. They were charged, depending of their role, with abuse of office and embezzlement committed through abuse of office. Krivolapov was additionally charged with illegal possession of ammunition.

Krivolapov and Opredelyonov also pleaded not guilty.

Criminal case against Martynov was reviewed separately as he fully admitted his guilt in large-scale embezzlement in 2010-2012 over the purchase of ankle bracelets for the Federal Penitentiary System. Martynov cooperated with investigators and announced that he is going to compensate the government with delivery of 7,000 new ankle bracelets. Businessman is a head of “NPF Meta” company that was supplying bracelets for prison inmates.

On June 30, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow sentenced businessman Nikolai Martynov to 3 years and 8 months in prison in relation to this case and fined him 500,000 rubles ($7,700).

According to investigators, between 2010 and 2012, Reimer and his accomplices embezzled over 1.2 billion rubles ($18.5 million) allocated for purchase of ankle bracelets for persons placed under house arrest. The procurement was pursued at an enormously overvalued price. Damage allegedly caused to the state budget was estimated at no less than 2.7 billion rubles ($41.5 million).

After Reimer resigned from FSIN in 2012, a 10 billion ruble ($154 mln) fraud was uncovered at the service.

Alexander Reimer, 58, was chief of the Interior Ministry Department in the Samara Region from April 2006 to 2009. In August 2009, he was appointed FSIN director and in 2010 promoted to the rank of Colonel-General of the Interior. He was dismissed from FSIN on June 26, 2012.