A senior Interior Ministry official, Major General Vladimir Cheishvili, was detained in Moscow and charged with abuse of authority over what investigators said was a 12 million ruble ($380,000) theft during purchases of meat for the police, Interfax reported Wednesday.
Hortsi, a company accused of involvement in the swindle, received contracts worth a combined 212 million rubles from police last year, the report said. More people may be charged, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee said.
The probe was begun on orders from Deputy Interior Minister Sergei Gerasimov shortly after his appointment in February, Gazeta.ru reported.
(MT)
