A criminal case has been opened in Ufa over the embezzlement of funds for the construction of a mosque.

On May 12, the Investigation Department at the Ufa Department of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case under Part 4 of Art. 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“misappropriation or embezzlement”) regarding the theft of funds allocated for the construction of a cathedral mosque.

The investigation established that from October 2006 to December 2008, the general contractor LLC PKF Zhilstroykomplektsnab received donations in the amount of 294 million rubles. Of these, the contractor squandered 69.8 million “in pursuit of selfish goals.” As of May 2009, only the foundation of the mosque has been built. Material damage was caused to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Previously, the republic's prosecutor's officerefused to initiate a criminal case.

Sources

• A criminal case has been opened in Bashkiria regarding the theft of funds for the construction of a mosque // REGNUM news agency. 2009. May 18.