Moscow Military Court ruled today that former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov remains in custody in connection with the fraud case opened against him by the Investigative Committee of Russia within the framework of another investigation into the corruption of officials related to former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The court ordered that Popov be detained until October 29, Russian media reported. He denies being guilty, his lawyer told RIA Novosti. The court case against Popov, who held the post since 2013 and was released from military service by presidential decree in June this year, is the third investigation against a senior defense official related to the construction of the Patriot military theme park. near Moscow.
Former Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov was taken to court in handcuffs
The issue of his arrest will be decided at the hearing. pic.twitter.com/iK3k6vlDt8— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 29, 2024
According to the Russian Investigative Committee, in the period from 2021 to 2024, Popov, responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of the park "Patriot", enriched himself at the expense of the park, acting together with the director Vyacheslav Akhmedov and general- Major Vladimir Shesterov, deputy head of the Main Directorate for Innovation Development at the Russian Defense Ministry, who were previously indicted and detained earlier this month on suspicion of fraud.
Patriot Park, a major tourist attraction outside Moscow, displays a vast collection of Russian and Soviet weapons and offers visitors the chance to climb tanks and take part in combat simulations. Investigators said that since 2021, Popov had been diverting various construction materials from the park to his own house for construction and assembly work. Several properties owned by Popov and members of his family, worth more than 500 million rubles ($5.47 million), are being examined as part of the fraud probe, investigators said.
Soon after the first arrests in May of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly removed longtime Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and replaced him with economist Andrei Belousov. It was seen as a move to ensure tighter management of Russia's huge defense budget and stamp out waste and bribery. Sixty-seven-year-old Popov graduated from a military academy and worked for 17 years at the Russian Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief. Shoigu, now secretary of Russia's Security Council, was head of the same ministry from 1991 to 2012.