The helicopter disappeared Oct. 30, 1994, and the searches mounted in both 1994 and spring 1995 were fruitless, said former Amur governor Vladimir Polevanov.
Polevanov, who was dismissed earlier this year as chairman of the State Property Committee, said the discovery refuted accusations that he had organized the theft in order to "buy a post in Moscow."
Polevanov said the gold was currently being guarded by the local police.
Preliminary information indicated that the Mi-2 helicopter crashed because of a sharp deterioration of weather conditions.
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