Russian Investigative Committee launches case against Navalny for large-scale fraud

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case for large-scale fraud against opposition figure Alexey Navalny, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday, December 29.

According to state investigators, Navalny collected more than 588 million rubles (about $7.9 million) worth of donations on behalf of his non-profit, the Anti-Corruption Foundation, and a number of other organizations. Then, “acting with other persons,” he allegedly spent more than 356 million rubles (about $4.8 million) from these funds on “acquiring personal property and material assets, and paying expenses (including vacations abroad).”

“Thus, the funds collected from citizens were stolen,” the Investigative Committee concluded in its statement.

Commenting on the launch of the case, Navalny wrote on Twitter: “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin seems to be simply hysterical.”

• Navalny is currently in Germany; he has been there since he was flow to Berlin for treatment after his poisoning in August.
• On Monday, December 28, Russia’s prison authorities threatened to file a complaint against Navalny in court for violating probation, demanding that he show up to a parole hearing in Moscow first thing the next day. Navalny’s lawyers warned that the opposition figure could face jail time if the Russian courts overturn his previous sentence in the Yves Rocher case. Navalny’s probation is set to end on December 30.