Russian Official Reportedly Received $28 Million in Bitcoin Bribes

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A Russian government official, Marat Tambiev, allegedly collected $28 million in Bitcoin bribes from a hacker group he was investigating.

Local media outlet Kommersant first reported the incident and described it as the country’s biggest corruption case.

Over 1,000 BTC in bribes

Prosecutors first learned of the Bitcoin kickbacks during the investigation into a criminal bribery allegation against him. They discovered that he owned 1,032.1 BTC.

According to investigations, Mr. Tambiev obtained the cryptocurrency on April 7, 2022 from members of the hacker group Infraud Organization Mark. At the time, he was investigating the members of the group. He was paid in exchange for not seizing their assets.

Tambiev heads an investigative department for the Tver District Committee in Moscow and received these funds from pirates while in that position. His corruption led to the termination of his employment.

Russian crypto use on the rise

Russia is one of many countries actively considering crypto regulation amid its growing rate of adoption and usage.

The country recently canceled plans to establish a national crypto exchange and would instead focus on regulating these platforms. The head of the State Duma committee on the financial market, Anatoly Aksakov, noted that the country will formulate rules for establishing such crypto exchanges.

One of the largest banks in Russia, Rosbank, recently conducted cross-border cryptocurrency transactions. This follows the Russian central bank’s attempt to allow the use of crypto for international settlements. Russia has been into crypto ever since Western countries heavily sanctioned it following its invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, Russia was the second largest Bitcoin miner after the United States in the first three months of this year. According to the report, mining activities in the country are enjoying government support as authorities seek to subsidize a new 100-megawatt mining center in eastern Siberia.

Despite these positive developments, crypto cannot be used as a form of payment in the country. In July 2022, President Putin banned the use of digital assets as payment for goods and services.

Disclaimer

In accordance with the guidelines of the Trust Project, BeInCrypto is committed to providing impartial and transparent reports. This news article aims to provide accurate and timely information. However, readers are urged to independently fact-check and seek professional advice before making any decisions based on this content.

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