In one of the most shocking corruption cases of recent years, the Russian official Marat Tambiev is accused of receiving bribes worth nearly 140 million reais in Bitcoin (BTC) from the hacker group Infrastructure organization Mark.
According to local media, Tambiev accepted the bribe in exchange for not seizing the illegal assets of the hackers under investigation. Russian authorities consider this the largest bribe ever recorded in the country.
Marat Tambiev was head of the investigative department of Moscow’s Tverskoy District Commission until he was recently fired after allegations of corruption surfaced.
BRL 138 million in seized bitcoins
During a search of his apartment, authorities found 1,032 bitcoins on his laptop. The deputy attorney general stressed that Tambiev officially received about $150,000 during his tenure on the commission, raising questions about the origin of the R$138 million worth of bitcoins.
The bribe is said to have taken place in April 2022 and involved not only agent Tambiev, but also members of the hacker group responsible for illegal activities on the internet.
The hackers in question, Konstantin Bergmanov and Kirill Samokutyaevsky, received sentences ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 years in prison, while authorities were able to recover about $8.6 million in bitcoin from them.
The case shocked Russian public opinion and raised questions about the effectiveness of the country’s anti-corruption system. Marat Tambiev will appear in court on June 5, where the prosecutor will try to seize all of the officer’s ill-gotten funds.
Meanwhile, Tambiev has denied all allegations and even sued the Commission of Inquiry, claiming that the allegations have not been substantiated during the ongoing investigation. However, the lawsuit was dismissed after an audit confirmed corruption.
deferred retirement
According to Russian media, during the search and seizure process, police found an Apple MacBook Pro notebook, which contained a folder named “pension”.
Upon opening it, they found a photo of a sheet of paper with wallet codes containing 932.1 and 100 bitcoins. Both wallets have been seized by authorities.
The police started an investigation into the official after the hackers confessed to having made a deal with the official, as a result of the confession the hackers received a reduced sentence.
The discovery of the Bitcoin wallets associated with the “retirement” folder suggests that the assets found may have been destined for the official’s financial future. But now that the bitcoins and evidence are in the hands of the police, it appears that the official’s retirement has been postponed indefinitely.
Largest bribery case ever registered in Russia
The episode revealed a bribe worth 1.6 billion rubles, a record for Russian law enforcement agencies, which resulted in a debate about corruption in the Russian judiciary and police system.
This particular case reveals the complexity and magnitude of corruption schemes that can exist within the system, which can lead to a significant loss of confidence in law enforcement.
The Chief Investigative Committee and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are committed to reclaiming all of Marat Tambiev’s assets. The hearing scheduled for June 5 will determine the fate of bitcoins.
Source: Live Coins
Barry Siefert is an accomplished journalist and author at The Nation View. He is known for his expertise in the field of cryptocurrency, and has written extensively on the topic. With a background in finance and economics, Barry has a deep understanding of the underlying technology and market forces that drive the crypto industry.
