Interfax: Former Deputy Minister of Culture Grigory Pirumov Suspected of Laundering Money Stolen at Hermitage Construction Site

A new criminal case has been opened against former Deputy Minister of Culture Grigory Pirumov — for laundering about 800 million rubles stolen during the construction of new Hermitage facilities. This was reported by Interfax, citing an unnamed source.

According to investigators, the funds were laundered by Pirumov and his accomplices through “fictitious financial transactions in organizations under their control.” This occurred from July 2015 to March 2016.

Pirumov is currently under arrest in connection with the theft case during construction at the Hermitage, but it was previously reported that the amount of stolen money was estimated at 450 million rubles. He is also charged with organizing a criminal community.

• In August 2019, Pirumov was released on parole - he was sentenced to three years in prison for the “restorers’ case.”