Recently, the former director of the General Administration of Cadres of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Yuriby KuznetsovA large amount of property worth more than 500 million rubles (approximately RMB 4,455 million) was found to be seriously inconsistent with its official declared income.

On August 27, a source familiar with the litigation documents revealed that the Russian General Prosecutor's Office requested that Kuznetsov, former director of the Cadre Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, be nationalized with a value of more than 500 million rubles. The lawsuit was registered with the court on August 20. Another source close to the investigation revealed that the investigation of the criminal case has ended and the defendant is reviewing the case file materials to prepare for the formal trial.

Russian Prosecutor General Requests The Corrupt Property Of The Former High Officer Of The Defense Ministry To Be Transferred To The Treasury

In May 2024, Kuznetsov was detained on suspicion of receiving particularly large bribes from businessman Leva Martiro. Surveys show that between 2021 and 2023, Kuznetsov accepted bribes by providing "care" to some commercial organizations. Initially, the bribes were believed to be a piece of land and a house worth 7 million rubles. Later, investigators adjusted the amount of the bribe to 80 million rubles.

During the follow-up investigation, while searching for Kuznetsov and his family's homes, investigators found large amounts of rubles, dollars and euros in cash, as well as a collection of rare coins and jewelry. The investigation found that Kuznetsov also bought expensive properties, registered under his wife or daughter's name. According to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office, the total value of these properties was estimated at approximately 2,41 billion rubles.

Coupled with the coins and jewelry collection seized in his apartment, Kuznetsov's total wealth exceeds 500 million rubles, which is more than five times the combined normal income of him and his wife over the past 14 years.

According to sources, Kuznetsov has a large collection of rare coins and costly jewelry.The Prosecutor General¡¯s Office of the Russian Federation demanded that 59 gold and 101 silver coins be recovered.The collection includes coins engraved with George Washington and the Statue of Liberty, as well as commemorative coins issued in Russia for a variety of major themes.

The prosecutor¡¯s office also requested the confiscation of a piece of Kuznetsov¡¯s Omega watch and 94 jewelry items, including 25 rings, 18 earrings, 12 necklaces, 15 hangings, 7 bracelets, 8 rows of pearls, 6 sets of sleeves and three sets of jewelry.

According to Central Television News in May 2024, on May 14, local time, for suspicion of criminal crime, Yuri Kuznetsov, director of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, was arrested.Kuznetsov has been in charge of information security since 2010 in the subdivision of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and has served as director of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defense since 2023.

It is reported that Kuznetsov has been held in a pretrial detention center since May 2024. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

Red Star journalist Deng Shuyi comprehensive CCTV news

Editor Ou Peng