MOSCOW, November 10 (RAPSI) – A lawyer of Dmitry Zakharchenko, former Russian anti-corruption official charged with receiving a large-scale bribe, has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit of the Prosecutor General’s Office seeking to turn his client’s property to the state, RAPSI correspondent reports from the courtroom on Friday.
According to the lawyer, during his client’s service in bodies of the Interior Ministry, Zakharchenko did not participate in deals related to purchase or sell of real estate. In addition, the case documents how that his client’s ex-wife Yana Saratovtseva did not purchase any real estate either.
On Friday, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow initiated review of the lawsuit filed by prosecutors. Other defendants in the case are Zakharchenko’s parents and other relatives.
Earlier today, the prosecutor said that an apartment belonging to relatives of the defendant contained $124 million and 340 million rubles (about $5.7 million), adding that from 2001 till 2016 Zakharchenko earned only 12 million rubles (about $202,700) and that his relatives did not have the means to obtain this sum as well.
Prosecutors seek to turn 27 objects of real estate in elite neighborhoods of Moscow, 4 high-end automobiles and 8 billion rubles (about $135.1 million) into the state property.
Ex-Russian anti-corruption official Dmitry Zakharchenko was arrested on September 8, 2016. During searches at the apartment belonging to Zakharchenko’s sister law enforcement officers found around 9 billion rubles (about $156 million at the current exchange rate).
Zakharchenko himself denies any relation to seized funds.
Zakharchenko was charged with receiving a 7-million-ruble ($121,600) bribe from an unknown source. He has also been charged with abuse of office and hindering the conduct of preliminary investigation. On March 2, it was revealed that he is charged with two more instances of corruption crimes.
According to case papers, the father of Dmitry Zakharchenko, Viktor, is charged with being an accessory to embezzlement. His father also pleads not guilty to embezzlement.