Russian IT billionaire arrested in absentia on bribery charges PHOTO

Sergei Matsotsky, co-founder of IBS, Russia’s largest IT consulting holding, has been arrested in absentia on allegations of offering a bribe of an especially large scale.

Authorities say Matsotsky is currently not in Russia, and specific details of the charges have not been made public by his defence team, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Matsotsky, a prominent figure in Russia’s IT sector, stepped down from IBS in 2020 to establish his own company, GS-Invest, which focuses on software development and systems integration.

His net worth was estimated at approximately 14.5 billion rubles (around $163 million). In 2023, he sold his 47 per cent stake in GS-Invest and fully exited the business.

Apart from his entrepreneurial ventures, Matsotsky also served on the board of directors of telecommunications giant VimpelCom.

Once ranked 18th among Russia’s IT billionaires, he now faces a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years if convicted on the bribery charges.

By Sabina Mammadli