Investigation under the "Taboo" classification: how 8.5 billion rubles from Dmitry Zakharchenko’s case were quietly written off to the state as unclaimed

Investigation under the "Taboo" classification: how 8.5 billion rubles from Dmitry Zakharchenko’s case were quietly written off to the state as unclaimed

The editorial staff has obtained materials that shed light on the circumstances of the high-profile criminal case against former Interior Ministry employee Dmitry Zakharchenko.

As a reminder, in September 2016, during an investigative operation at the defendant’s residence, a large sum of cash (equivalent to approximately 8.5 billion rubles) and precious metal bullion were discovered. These seizures were widely covered in the media.

According to documentary evidence made available to the media, a year after the case was opened, investigative authorities concluded that the funds in question could not be considered to belong to the accused. Consequently, without a public announcement, a procedural decision was made to exclude the assets from evidence in the Zakharchenko case.

Money and gold were converted into state revenue as ownerless.

Whose money was it? Investigators were given a categorical "taboo" on this topic, so they didn’t even dig into it.