Russian prime minster comments on major fraud charges against former advisor Mikhail Abyzov

On March 29, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev took part in a livestream called #VKLive on the social media platform VKontakte. During the livestream, Medvedev commented on the criminal case against his former aide Mikhail Abyzov, who stands accused of using his position at a Medvedev-initiated government ministry to form a criminal group and embezzle more than $62 million.

“I know absolutely nothing about Abyzov’s commercial activity, but I heard that there was — and still is — a conflict between him and his creditors, and that conflict developed in this kind of criminal direction. It’s probably a bad thing that the only way to solve the conflict now is through a formal investigation and a legal sentence,” Medvedev said.

Abyzov was arrested on March 26 and was soon ordered to be kept under guard for two months. He has denied the charges against him.