MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax) - The former leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry has nothing to do with violations found by military prosecutors when checking the legality of managing land in the Bryansk region, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office told Interfax on Friday.
Indeed, bodies of the military prosecutor's office held such an inspection in 2013, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office said.
"It has been determined that the contract on leasing a piece of land, which was in use by the Russian Defense Ministry, was concluded in accordance with legal demands and land was given to the lessee in a proper manner. However, when implementing further the agreement, officials of the military forestry department and territorial forestry management department of the military agency violated the orders of using the forest located on this land by the lessee," the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office said.
As a result the state did not receive over 17 million rubles, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office said.
Materials regarding officials of the Bryansk military forestry department and territorial forestry management department have been sent to military investigative bodies to make a procedural decision.
Upon the initiative of military prosecutors, a lawsuit to collect the named funds from the company, the lessee, has been filed in a court.
"Former leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry has had nothing to do with the named law violations," the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office said.
State Duma deputies have raised the issue of the possible involvement of former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in violations in the Bryansk region in regard to that land.