MOSCOW, November 27 (RAPSI) – A judge on Friday ordered ex-Deputy Chief of the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) Valery Maksimenko charged with abuse of office to be placed in detention until January 25, the press service of Moscow’s Basmanny District Court told RAPSI.

The former official was arrested in Moscow on November 26.

Investigators believe in 2018 he illegally organized conclusion of state contracts for construction and repair of facilities upon the Federal Target Program “Development of the Penal Enforcement System (2018 - 2026)” between territorial directorates of FSIN and the North Caucasian Federal District’s Construction Management of the Russian Penitentiary Service that resulted in infliction of damage to the state.

According to the Investigative Committee, the defendant’s actions led to non-implementation of the Federal Target Program for 2018-2019 in the amount of more than 2.1 billion rubles (about $28 million), failure to put 14 penal facilities into operation and damage worth over 189 million rubles ($2.5 million) to the unitary enterprise which was to spend additional construction expenses and pay fines for late performance of public contracts.

Maksimenko pleads not guilty.