Ingushetia announces ‘$3 million embezzled’ in six months

Ingushetia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has reported that during the first six months of 2017, ₽177 million ($2.9 million) was stolen from the state budget.

According to information released on 3 August by the Department of Economic Security and Combatting Corruption at Ingushetia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the first half of 2017, 96 economic crimes were committed in the republic.

According to the report, of the 96 crimes, 18 were related to corruption. The material damage from the crimes amounted to ₽177 million ($2.9 million).

Corruption is commonplace in Ingushetia, and in February, the republic’s Prosecutor’s Office found a number of violations in the activities of former Minister of Construction Mustafa Buruzhev. He is accused of embezzling ₽54 million ($825,000) together with an accomplice by commissioning works that never took place.

In April, the Prosecutor’s Office completed an investigation into the case against former minister of agriculture Ruslan Kostoyev, who is accused of misappropriating more than ₽53 million ($950,000). In July, an employee of the Ingushetia’s Investigative Committee was detained while accepting a bribe of ₽3 million ($50,000).