The mysterious amnesty Serdyukov

The story of the amnesty of the former Minister of Defense of Russia Anatoly Serdyukov at the end of the week was discussed in the Russian media. However, neither official evidence of this fact, nor official refutations appeared.

On March 7, the RAPSI agency with reference to one of the lawyers Anatoly Serdyukov, Heinrich Padva, reported that the ex-head of the defense department "was indeed amnestied at the beginning of this year, but the information was not intentionally disclosed by the agreement between the investigation and protection of the accused." But after a few hours, Padva denied this information by ITAR-TASS. However, RAPSI said that they have an audio recording confirming what the lawyer said at a meeting of the Moscow Club of Lawyers. The second lawyer Serdyukov - Konstantin Rivkin does not comment on the situation with amnesty.

The Kommersant newspaper, referring to its sources, also writes that "the main military investigative department (GVSU) of the TFR issued a decision on the use of an amnesty against Serdyukov. He was released from criminal prosecution for negligence as a soldier who defended the Fatherland during the fighting with Georgia. However, Mr. Serdyukov will still appear before the court: he will have to testify according to the court The cases of "Oboronservice" and, possibly, act as a defendant at the suit of the prosecutor's office. " The publication notes that Serdyukov himself did not take part in hostilities. In August 2008, when the war with Georgia began, he was on the next vacation, from where he was withdrawn by order of the then President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. However, having returned to Moscow, "he immediately began to fulfill the duties of the minister, taking on a part of the functions of the general leadership of the Ministry of Defense forces leading combat actions in South Ossetia," Kommersant writes.

The former Minister of Defense was accused of negligence. According to investigators, he gave an order to build at the expense of the road budget to the recreation center "Life" in the Astrakhan region.

Despite the fact that the State Duma did not conduct a parliamentary investigation of Anatoly Serdyukov’s activities as Minister of Defense, the Communist Party faction leaves no hope of initiating him. According to the newspaper Kommersant, deputy Anatoly Lokot, agreeing to an amnesty, Serdyukov pleaded his guilt.

Meanwhile, on Friday, it became known that the indictment in the case of the former employee of the Ministry of Defense Evgenia Vasilyeva will go to the Prosecutor General’s Office for approval at the very beginning of summer. This will happen after Vasiliev and its defense finish familiarization with the materials. The former head of the Department of Property Relations of the Ministry of Defense is charged with 12 episodes related, inter alia, with the sale of military real estate. Vasilieva worked in the Ministry of Defense, when Serdyukov led the department, and probably the ex-minister will act as a witness in the case of Oboronservis.