A corrupt Russian investigator: 1032 bitcoins in bribe, an unprecedented scandal!

Greed can sometimes take over integrity and probity, as this unusual fact perfectly illustrates. Marat Tambiev, a Russian chief investigator, let himself be bribed by hackers and received bitcoins as a bribe. If he believed for a long time to have succeeded, it was without counting on the vigilance of the Russian authorities who ended up pinning him.

Marat Tambiev, the Russian investigator bribed with millions of dollars of bitcoins

Apart from investors, the cryptosphere is full of many hackers who remain on the lookout for possible prey. The most recent case is that of Atomic Wallet, which was robbed of more than $35 million just a few days ago. If these pirates have succeeded, those of the Russian group Infraud Organization cannot say the same.

The group consisting of three hackers, Mark and Konstantin Bergmanov, and Kirill Samokutyaevsky was under investigation in Russia in 2022. With no way out and with the investigators hot on their heels, they tried to bribe the chief investigator. An attempt that succeeded, because Marat Tambiev, who has worked for the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation since 2011, accepted their bribe of 1032 bitcoins.

The two parties would have concluded an agreement according to which in return for his silence, Marat Tambiev should receive the astronomical sum which was offered to him. The deal was done, the years passed, except the matter resurfaced.

Investigators have indeed legally discovered a huge sum that Marat Tambiev had on his laptop. A fortune that he could not have constituted legally even if we take into account all his remuneration since the beginning of his career. Attorney General Anatoly Razinkin has also declared that the funds come from “sources not recognized by law”.

A record bribe for a Russian official

The bitcoins held by Marat Tambiev were discovered during a search of his apartment in Moscow. The Russian official was under investigation for large-scale corruption. The police discovered several objects, including his laptop, an Apple MacBook Pro.

The authorities were able to access the data only several months later and discovered on the device, a folder named ”Pension”. Said file contained private keys of two wallets which contained respectively, 932.1 and 100 bitcoins.

The bribe worth $28 million today is a record. Never had such a sum been cited in a corruption case involving a Russian official. As far as he is concerned, Marat Tambiev denies any involvement in the affair and has, moreover, sued the investigative committee of the Russian Federation. He hopes to be reinstated and compensated for his absence from work.

Mr. Tambiev made an appeal which was dismissed following confirmation of evidence of his corruption by an audit. The next appearance of the investigator in court is scheduled for Monday and everything indicates that the judicial authorities will decide in favor of a seizure of the funds.

Like many other countries, Russia does not yet have comprehensive cryptocurrency regulations. Europe has taken a big step forward with the promulgation of MiCA standards.

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