MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin expects an unbiased investigation into allegedly fraudulent deals on state property managed by Oboronservis, a company controlled by the Defense Ministry.
“I can assure you that both the investigation and trial will be absolutely unbiased,” Putin said during a press conference on Thursday.
Putin vowed that no one would be off limits. "You can be 100 percent sure about this. The courts alone can decide whether someone is guilty or not,” Putin said.
Former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was sacked in November following the high-profile arrests of Oboronservis officials for allegedly pocketing nearly $100 million in property sale proceeds.
Addressing Serdyukov’s dismissal, Putin said: “Yes, there are doubts about the appropriateness of the decisions the defense minister made and his personal behavior. That's why he was dismissed.”
“But only a court can decide whether fraud was committed,” he said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had praised Serdyukov, the first civilian to serve as defense minister, for initiating much-needed reforms in the armed forces.
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