Russia’s Attorney General wants a 7.5-year prison term for the former Commander in Chief of the Army’s Ground Forces. He is accused of accepting a $20,000 bribe.
According to the investigation, Commander Vladimir Chirkin promised to use the funds to help a retired major with housing, but instead kept the money for himself. Chirkin maintains that he is innocent. The final verdict will be issued in the next few days.
In order to gather the necessary funds, Major Lopanov had to sell his garage and borrow money. Witnesses testified that an intermediary named Linov handed over the received 220,000 rubles [$3,500] to the general right on the training field, during some kind of ceremony in Kantemirovka. Another 260,000 rubles [$4,140] were handed over to Vladimir Chirkin at his home.
Chirkin served as Commander in Chief of the Russian Army’s Ground Forces from 2012 to 2013.
The events under investigation occurred in 2008, when Chirkin was Component Commander of the Moscow military region. Investigators claim that Chirkin had agreed to help allocate housing to retired major Vladimir Lopanov for a bribe. When Lopanov’s family were preparing to move into their new apartment, they learned that the apartment belonged to someone else.
Chirkin’s defense lawyers claim Lopanov had given money to intermediaries, while Chirkin himself knew nothing of the bribe.