RBC: a criminal case was opened against employees of Moscow State Pedagogical University for receiving bribes in bitcoins for assistance in defending dissertations

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against the head of the department and two teachers of the Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU) for bribes in bitcoins for assistance in defending dissertations and obtaining an academic degree. this RBC reports with reference to a source in the department and a source familiar with the case materials.

A criminal case was opened under articles on giving and receiving bribes (part 5 of article 290 of the Criminal Code; part 3 of article 291.1 of the Criminal Code).

According to one of the publication’s interlocutors, the head of the department of social pedagogy and psychology at the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology, Elena Levanova, received 384 thousand rubles from a candidate for an academic degree.

“The money was received through intermediaries, the senior teacher of the same department, Ksenia Pleshakova, and through the scientific secretary of the MSPU dissertation council, Vladimir Pleshakov,” the source explained.

For this amount, Levanova, the chairman of the dissertation council, was supposed to help the applicant gain access to defend her dissertation and contribute to the council members making a positive decision on defending the work, the publication writes.

The source clarified that during the defense the applicant answered questions that she herself had prepared. In addition, during the break in the meeting, she managed to prepare for the council’s questions, the answers to which she did not know.

RBC's interlocutor in the Investigative Committee added that Levanova is suspected of fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code). According to the source, in 2020 she received 50 thousand rubles from the girl and had to transfer the money to the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the awarding of that academic degree. Levanova had no intention of handing over the money, the publication concludes.

In December 2020, Baza , without specifying a source wrote , that during a search Levanova was found to have money packaged in envelopes, “which was intended for top university officials.”