The director of the Patriot Park, Vyacheslav Akhmedov, was arrested in Moscow in a fraud case (Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the Investigative Committee.
As reported by a Mediazona correspondent, the 235th Garrison Military Court arrested Akhmedov on Saturday, August 3. He will remain in pretrial detention until at least September 21. Akhmedov is not listed as an active military serviceman.
The Investigative Committee adds that the deputy head of the Main Directorate for Innovative Development of the Ministry of Defense Major General Vladimir Shesterov. A preventive measure has not yet been chosen for him.
According to the investigation, they are involved in the theft of budget funds allocated for the work of «Patriot» and the congress and exhibition center. Akhmedov and Shesterov have «accomplices,» the Investigative Committee added. Their names are not given.
In late July, it became known that searches had been conducted in the park administration. The Mash Telegram channel published a video showing men in civilian clothes carrying sealed boxes out of the Patriot control center building. TASS, citing a source in law enforcement agencies, wrote that the searches were related to the theft of more than 40 million rubles in government procurement, and that investigative actions were carried out, among others, with Akhmedov.
Construction of the Patriot Park began in June 2014. A year later, a congress and exhibition center was opened there and the Army arms exhibition was held. According to Kommersant's calculations, more than 20 billion rubles were allocated for the construction of the park in the first six months. The Insider's investigation said that the maintenance of the Patriot costs 250 million rubles a year. Contracts were received by companies associated with the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the family of billionaire Arkady Rotenberg.
In 2018, they began building the main temple of the Russian Armed Forces in the park. The military told Dozhd that they were forced to donate money to it.
Updated at 16:19. Information was added that Akhmedov was arrested on Saturday.