Former Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Timur Ivanov, accused of receiving a bribe in the amount of 1 billion 185 million rubles, believes that his actions do not have a criminal nature and should be assessed as civil relationship and not as a crime. This is clear from the materials in the case, reports TASS, quoted by BTA.
"He denies guilt and believes that in his case there is no evidence of complicity in the incriminated act, and his actions do not constitute a crime, since the actions, which the investigation qualifies as criminal, are the result of civil law relations", says the document.
Ivanov also draws attention to the illegality of the detention, "which was carried out in the absence of one of the defenders", as well as the initiation of a criminal case by an inappropriate official, since Ivanov, "despite being a public servant", held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
It was previously reported that Ivanov had asked Moscow's Basmanny Court to choose a non-custodial remand for him because of his involvement in the war in Ukraine. This is stated in the decision of the district court to extend his term of arrest.
The law enforcement authorities specified for TASS that by his participation in the military actions, the accused "meant the fact that he personally supervised the construction of various facilities and structures in new territories of the Russian Federation".
We remind you that Ivanov was arrested on April 24 on charges of receiving a particularly large bribe. In the same case, businessmen Sergey Borodin and Alexander Fomin were arrested, whom the investigators accused of bribery.
Later it became clear that the former head of several companies subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Anton Filatov, a former subordinate of Ivanov, was also detained. It is not known what Filatov is accused of and what criminal case he was arrested for.
According to information from the authorities, the bribe was given in the form of providing services, the price of which may exceed 1 billion rubles.
At the same time, the investigation established the complicity of the deputy minister in possible other crimes in office, and new defendants are expected to appear in the case.
Ivanov denies being involved in receiving a bribe. The accounts and assets of all the defendants in the case were frozen as part of the interim measures. The charges against Ivanov provide for up to 15 years in prison.
After him, Russia detained other officials on similar charges.