A former Russian state investigator, Marat Tambiyev, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting bribes worth around $73 million, most of which were paid in Bitcoin. According to Reuters, this amount is five times higher than the previous record for bribery cases in Russia’s modern history.
Tambiyev was an employee of the Investigative Committee of Russia. He was convicted for accepting Bitcoin bribe from members of the hacking group known as the Infraud Organization. He had been investigating the group when the illegitimate deal was made. According to the deal, Tambiyev refrained from seizing the Bitcoins stolen by the hackers. However, he decided to take half of the assets on April 7, 2022.
Tambiyev Denies Bitcoin Bribe Allegations
In 2023, the Russian authorities found the Bitcoin deposited in a Mac computer with a folder named “Pension.” In this case, the authorities were prompted to look for mischief when they discovered that the money could not be earned from Tambiyev’s official salary. The sum was ludicrous, especially regarding his capacity, which could only command a wage of 11.7 million rubles ($144,000) annually.
However, Tambiyev refused the accusations and stated that he was framed and that his activities aimed to return some money to the state. He defended himself, stating that he had not retained the monies for himself but helped to forward them to the relevant authorities. The prosecution refuted this claim, saying that Tambiyev had ensured that more than half of the Bitcoin wealth was in his crypto wallets.
The access codes to these wallets were hidden in the “Pension” folder on his laptop. Law enforcement was able to retrieve over 36% of the Bitcoins that were held at the site. But it is still unclear what became of the rest of the assets.
Another case participant, Tambiyev’s colleague Kristina Lyakhovenko, was also sentenced to nine years of imprisonment. Tambiyev and Lyakhovenko have promised to appeal the verdicts they received, respectively.
The case has sparked controversy over corruption in Russia’s police force and the ability to use cryptocurrencies for unlawful purposes. It also examines the increasing use of digital assets in criminal investigations around the world.
