Former Russian aviation chief detained on large-scale fraud allegations

Alexander Neradko, the former head of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya), has been detained on suspicion of fraud. 

The Khoroshevsky District Court in Moscow stated that investigators have requested Neradko's arrest. A motion seeking his pretrial detention has been submitted to the court, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to investigators, Neradko is suspected of involvement in "a particularly large-scale fraud committed by a group of individuals."

The case follows the earlier detention of Neradko's former deputy, Sergei Timoshenko. Russian investigators allege that between 2019 and 2021, while serving as deputy governor of the Bryansk region, Timoshenko oversaw the construction and major renovation of socially significant facilities and received four million rubles ($52,017) from business owners in exchange for his patronage.

Timoshenko served as Neradko's deputy at Rosaviatsiya from September 2021 until March 2022.

The Khoroshevsky District Court is currently considering prosecutors' request to place Neradko in pretrial detention. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

By Sabina Mammadli