MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s state investigative agency says that a former government minister has been arrested on fraud charges.
The Investigative Committee said Tuesday that Mikhail Abyzov is accused of presiding over a criminal group that embezzled funds belonging to two energy companies in Siberia and siphoned them into foreign bank accounts.
The 46-year-old Abyzov was a member of the Russian Cabinet in 2012-2018, overseeing information technologies and efforts to increase the government’s transparency.
He was a close associate of Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russian president in 2008-2012 when Vladimir Putin had to shift into the prime minister’s seat because of term limits. Following Putin’s return as president, Medvedev moved into the premier’s seat and Abyzov retained a key position.
Abyzov left the Cabinet last year, but continued to advise the government.