MOSCOW, March 19 (RAPSI) – Russian police have arrested eleven former top managers and employees of power supply companies in a case over embezzlement of more than 10 billion rubles ($135 million), the Interior Ministry’s press service reports.

The apprehended persons are former heads of regional utility companies Arkhenergosbyt, Vologdaenergosbyt, Roscommunenergo, Khakasenergosbyt and Chelyabenergosbyt Ilya Shulgin, Elizaveta Sakhno, Vadim Litvinov, Svetlana Nikodimova, Elena Dormidonova, Vladimir Gailit, employees of these organizations and ex-executive of Mosuralbank Nikolay Korneyev. 

According to investigators, between 2004 and 2019, the criminal group members transferred over 10 billion rubles allocated for the bulk buying of electrical energy, execution of state energy investment programmes, modernization and maintainance of the operating condition of technical networks to the accounts of foreign companies under their control.

Three defendants have been already placed in detention. Four others are waiting for the hearing on choosing a restrictive measure for them.

Alleged crime masterminds are put on the international wanted list.

Assets worth nearly 7 billion rubles ($95 million) belonging to the defendants’ property and organizations have been seized.