The rector of the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade was placed under house arrest. Sergei Sinelnikov-Murylev is suspected of embezzlement and fraud on an especially large scale, TASS reports with reference to the press service of the court. The case went to court yesterday, follows from the card on the website of the courts of general jurisdiction in Moscow. At the same time, the publication of documents on the course of the court session is prohibited, so there are few details. According to TASS, the arrest was carried out by the FSB.
Oleksandr Zabeyda, Partner at Zabeyda & Partners, comments:
“Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is the most common fraud committed either by an organized group or on an especially large scale. The maximum penalty under this article is 10 years’ imprisonment. It is difficult to say why the FSB officers are involved in the disclosure of fraud. Most often this happens when the interests of the state are affected, or because of the scale of the personality of the detainee, or they pursue a different interest, in any case, the law allows this. And there can be many reasons why the process is closed. The investigation may be interested in not disclosing information so as not to scare away the accomplices, or the case contains information, the disclosure of which could harm the interests of the Russian Federation. In any case, this is done at the request of one or both parties, and the reason for this may be purely formal. Universities are checked, most often state ones. Our state is now closely watching everything that is connected with it or with state money. At this stage, it is difficult to talk about any prospects.”
Sergei Sinelnikov-Murylev is a professor and doctor of economic sciences, he is 62 years old. According to RBC, in 2017 he entered the top three richest rectors of Russia. Sinelnikov-Murylev has been the rector since 2007. He is also a member of the Expert Council under the government and chairman of the Public Council of the Ministry of Finance.
