Former official of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Marat Tambiev, has been detained in connection to a major cryptocurrency bribery case, marking the largest bribery case in the history of Russia.
Case Background
According to reports, the Russian government has seized approximately $10 million in Bitcoin from a former law enforcement executive. The confiscation of cryptocurrency was part of a large-scale bribery case. About 103 BTC were seized, which represents just 4% of the total bribe amount of 2,718 BTC, valued at $258 million.
Tambiev's Arrest
Murat Tambiev was arrested in March 2022. Enforcement officials were able to find his Bitcoin wallet private keys on his laptop in a folder named 'Retirement'. It is alleged that Tambiev received thousands of BTC from a hacker group known as the Infraud Organization. Kazakh citizens Mark and Konstantin Bergman, along with Estonian citizen Kirill Samokutyaev allegedly bribed Tambiev for certain procedural decisions in their own criminal case.
Trial and Verdict
Last October, a Russian court sentenced Tambiev to 16 years in prison for accepting a bribe of 2,718 BTC. This case has become the largest in Russian history related to cryptocurrency bribery. A Moscow court ordered the seizure of 1,032 BTC from Tambiev, valued at $98 million, which were allegedly acquired from unverified income.
The confiscated crypto assets will become part of Russia's state revenue. Tambiev's case revealed the extent of cryptocurrency usage in corruption schemes and set a significant precedent.