A bribery investigation has reached into the upper echelons of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.
Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukayev has been detained on allegations he took a $2 million bribe to help push through a major oil deal.
Ulyukayev is under investigation for allegedly taking the money in return for his ministry giving a “positive assessment” of state-owned oil giant Rosneft’s $5 billion deal to take control of smaller firm Bashneft, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday.
Rosneft completed the deal to buy the Russian government’s controlling stake in Bashneft last month.
Ulyukayev had been under investigation for more than a year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Investigative Committee said that Ulyukayev had been caught accepting the bribe. The group is Russia’s top federal investigative and anti-corruption body, and its leader reports directly to Putin.
Rosneft declined to comment on the investigation, but said the Bashneft deal complied with Russian laws.
“We see no risks for the deal,” Rosneft spokesman Mikhail Leontiev said.
Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev have discussed the minister’s detention, according to state media.
“These are very serious allegations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying. “And a verdict regarding the consistency of these charges can only be rendered by a court.”
CNN wasn’t immediately able to reach Ulyukayev for comment Tuesday. He remains in custody while the investigation continues, according to authorities.
A former deputy finance minister and central bank chairman, he was appointed economic development minister more than three years ago.
If he is found guilty, he faces a fine of as much as $200 million, or eight to 15 years in prison, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
— Radina Gigova, Alla Eschenko and Sarah Faidell contributed to this report.