Russia opened a new investigation into Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, raising pressure on one of Moscow’s most sincere critics.
Russia’s inquiry committee said in a statement that it was launching a new fraud investigation into allegations that it had misused $ 5 million in donations to its anti-corruption foundation and other companies.
Navalny’s foundation has been the subject of a series of investigations by the Russian government, although he and his allies have said the investigations are attempts to undermine the opposition movement.
“It was found that for the needs of several non-profit organizations, including the Anticorruption Foundation … more than 588 million rubles [$7.9 million] were collected from individuals as donations, “said the Committee of Inquiry.” These funds were intended exclusively for the purposes of these foundations. “
The agency specifically accused Navalny of spending more than $ 4.8 million on personal expenses, money that the Committee of Inquiry said was “stolen.”
The announcement of the criminal investigation marks an escalation of Moscow’s efforts to squeeze Navalny. Authorities have threatened to detain Navalny for failing to comply with his suspended sentence for an old case if he failed to appear at a hearing in Moscow on Tuesday. Navalny is currently in Germany and has been receiving treatment since the August poisoning and was given 10 hours’ notice to appear in court.
Moscow is believed to be behind the August attack on the opposition leader, which has followed similar poisonings by other Kremlin critics.
Navalny said in an Instagram post that new cases against him are part of Moscow’s broader efforts to silence him because of his criticism of the president. Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin Russia admits death toll COVID-19 is three times higher than previously reported Russian critic Navalny has been threatened with imprisonment if Putin does not return immediately from Germany to receive Russian coronavirus vaccine MORE following the poisoning.
“It wasn’t so hard to predict. I said from the beginning … they will try to lock me up because I didn’t die on the plane and then I followed my assassins. Because I proved that Putin is behind her and that he is a thief who is ready to kill those who refused to keep quiet about his theft, “Navalny said on Tuesday.