Key Takeaways
Russian bailiffs are currently in the process of transferring Bitcoin from Marat Tambiev to state revenue.
The case involves the confiscation of 1,032.1 BTC, which represents a significant crypto bribery scandal in Russia.
According to a report by TASS on Thursday, Russian bailiffs are in the process of liquidating over 1,032 Bitcoin, valued at approximately one billion rubles, that were seized from Marat Tambiev. Tambiev, a former investigator of the Russian Investigative Committee, was convicted in a high-profile crypto bribery case.
Tambiev, who previously held the position of chief investigator in the Tver District of Moscow, was found guilty of accepting 1,032 BTC as a bribe in order to protect the interests of the Infraud Organization, a hacking group he was investigating.
The former investigator was accused of striking a deal with members of the group, where he accepted Bitcoin in exchange for not confiscating their illegally obtained assets.
During a search of his Moscow apartment, authorities discovered the Bitcoin stash stored on Tambiev’s computer and devices (a Ledger Nano X hardware wallet). The Bitcoin was subsequently seized as part of a court ruling by the Nikulinsky Court of Moscow in 2023.
In October of last year, Tambiev was sentenced to 16 years in prison and fined 500 million rubles (approximately $5.2 million) for his actions. He has also been stripped of his rank and is prohibited from holding any government positions for 12 years following his release.
One of Tambiev’s former subordinates, Kristina Lyakhovenko, received a 9-year sentence in a general regime penal colony for accepting bribes and other charges. Dmitry Gubin, a third defendant and former deputy head of the investigative department for the Tverskoy District, remains at large.
According to TASS, in addition to the already seized Bitcoin, the Prosecutor General’s Office has filed another lawsuit to seize more of Tambiev’s assets, including a motorcycle, real estate, and additional Bitcoin, as they believe he acquired them through illegal means.
