MOSCOW, September 12 (RIA Novosti) – The chief anti-corruption official in southwestern Russia’s Belgorod Region is suspected of defrauding a bank of about $1.8 million, the Russian Investigative Committee said Thursday.
The committee’s branch in the nearby Oryol Region said a criminal case had been opened against Sergei Butyaikin, head of the economic security and anti-corruption agency at the Belgorod Region police department.
Investigators said in a statement that Butyaikin had threatened OryolSotsBank shareholder Alexei Fomchenkov with negative consequences in order to obtain a loan worth 60 million rubles ($1.8 million).
“The suspect didn’t plan to repay the loan in the future, so he misinformed Fomchenkov that only because of his high-ranking position were law enforcement officials not creating any obstacles for OryolSotsBank’s financial and business activities in the Belgorod Region,” the statement reads.
“Unwilling to face negative consequences, Fomchenkov issued a loan worth 60 million rubles and registered the loan in the name of a female acquaintance,” investigators said.
The Interior Ministry said Tuesday that offices of the Belgorod Region’s top police officials had been searched as part of an investigation into a 300 million ruble ($9.2 million) fraudulent loan issued by OryolSotsBank.
The Oryol-based lender lost its banking license last May. According to the Central Bank, OryolSotsBank financial reports were faked to conceal a loss of capital. A court declared the lender bankrupt about two months later.
A criminal case on charges of abuse of office was subsequently launched against OryolSotsBank CEO and board chairman Nikolai Lisyutchenko. He is suspected of issuing high-risk loans worth nearly 2 billion rubles ($60 million) without possessing enough funds to compensate for possible losses.
