Police have detained Vladimir Lukin, director of the state-run Kursk Oblast Development Corporation, TASS reported on December 20, citing law enforcement sources.
Vladimir Lukin is a suspect in a criminal case involving abuse of power during the construction of border defensive structures. Authorities estimate the damages to the budget at 173 million rubles.
Update: The Leninsky District Court has ordered Lukin to be jailed for two months.
On December 9, Igor Grabin, Lukin’s former deputy, was arrested in Kursk. Based on the reported damages, both men appear to be implicated in the same criminal case. Prosecutors allege that the Kursk Oblast Development Corporation paid a contractor for fortification work that had already been completed by another company and paid for.
The Kursk Oblast Development Corporation received over 3 billion rubles for the fortification project. In September, after Ukrainian forces breached the defensive structures, Governor Alexey Smirnov awarded Lukin a medal.
The Kursk Oblast Capital Construction Department has filed a lawsuit against the corporation for missing construction deadlines, while the corporation’s subcontractor is facing fraud charges under Article 159 of the Russian Criminal Code.