A senior procurement officer in Russia’s Defense Ministry has been charged with abuse of power, Russian law enforcement authorities announced late Thursday.
Investigators accuse Vladimir Verteletsky of taking a bribe in relation to “work that was not carried out” under a government contract in 2022, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes.
The law enforcement body said the sign-off had cost the state “over 70 million rubles” ($773,500) and added that Verteletsky was placed in pre-trial detention.
The senior procurement official’s arrest comes just hours after Russian investigators announced the detention of Lieutenant-General Vadim Shamarin on bribery charges as part of an apparent purge within the Russian military.
Verteletsky is the fourth senior-ranking military officer to have been arrested since the detention of ex-Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov on April 23.
The Kremlin on Thursday denied that it had launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign against military officials.
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