Deputy Energy Minister arrested in Russia for alleged corruption

MADRID 24 Oct. () –

The Russian authorities have arrested a former Deputy Minister of Energy, Sergei Mochalnikov, as part of investigations that affect the Ministry for alleged large-scale fraud in relation to coal mines and which had already led to the arrest of another senior official.

Official sources have confirmed to the Interfax agency the arrest of Mochalnikov, who is already in police custody. Investigators plan to file charges soon, with a view to a court determining whether they should remain in prison pending trial for “large-scale robbery” and “abuse of power.”

In the midst of a military invasion of Ukraine, Russian investigators have opened cases against several senior government officials and Russian media have reported arrests and dismissals beyond the Ministry of Defense, such as in the Investigative Committee, the Ministry for Emergency Situations or the Service. Penitentiary.

The United Kingdom Intelligence services indicated in a recent report that this extension represents a “potential indicator” that the magnifying glass has expanded and is no longer limited to Defense issues, mainly in the second echelons of the political hierarchy.