Court seizes property in largest bribery case

The court ordered the seizure of property from the relatives of Georgy Satyukov and Dmitry Sokolov at the request of the Prosecutor General«s Office. The exact value of the confiscated assets has not been disclosed.

The decision was made on January 29 during a closed court session, as reported by a participant in the proceedings. The list of seized property and its market price remain unknown.

Satyukov served as the head of the Bureau for Special Technical Measures of the Russian Interior Ministry, and Sokolov was his subordinate. They were investigating the cryptocurrency exchange WEX and, according to the investigation, promised its administrators to create legal problems for individuals who withdrew funds from the platform.

During this case, the name of entrepreneur Vyacheslav Malafeyev was mentioned in the press. Satyukov and Sokolov received a bribe equivalent to 5 billion rubles (approximately $50 million at current rates) at the time of receipt, and now its value is estimated at nearly 20 billion rubles (about $200 million).

It is assumed that these funds were used to acquire expensive real estate, including properties on Kamenny Island in St. Petersburg. Both individuals left Russia and died, but there is a version that their death certificates may have been falsified to transfer ownership to their widows.