A Moscow court found three colonels guilty in a bribery case tied to the maintenance of police vehicles, reported by Kommersant. The defendants were part of the Federal State Institution Administrative, Economic and Transport Main Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (FKU GTSAKHiTO). The criminal case, part 6 of article 290 of the Criminal Code, was opened in 2019 against Igor Tkachenko, head of the transport support division, his deputy Semyon Chichikin, and manager Alexei Bytko.
The colonels were convicted of accepting commissions as a result of patronage from Mikhail Kotov, chief executive of Schmitt Motors Group LLC. The investigation notes that this company secured tenders for the upkeep and repair of the police fleet for close to ten years. It is claimed that the officers turned a blind eye to substandard work and did not raise objections when Kotov paid 10.5 million rubles. According to Kommersant, only 7 million rubles reached the intended buyers.
In the Savelovsky District Court, Tkachenko received seven years in a strict regime colony, Bytko six and a half years, and Chichikin six years. Each defendant was also ordered to pay a fine equal to the bribe amount of 10.5 million rubles.
Earlier reports indicated that more than 80% of drivers in Russia had not faced corruption on the roads for three consecutive years.