MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) - Investigators from the Russian Interior Ministry's economic security directorate have uncovered facts of embezzlement of budget funds allocated to the Defense Ministry's Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN) to remediate land following the dismantlement of silos, the directorate said in a statement on Thursday.
"The Defense Ministry allocated 500 million rubles for the said purposes in 2008. Unlawful embezzlement schemes have been uncovered in a probe into the way this money was spent," it said.
Defense Ministry officials and commercial organizations are suspected of pursuing these schemes, it said. "The Investigative Committee's military investigative bodies have opened a criminal case under Criminal Code Articles 159 (fraud), 286 (abuse of office) and 204 (commercial subornation)," it said.