Russian IT billionaire Matsotsky faces renewed bribery probe

Russian IT entrepreneur Sergey Matsotsky, co-founder of IBS and the GS-Invest holding, has once again been placed under arrest in absentia after authorities reopened a bribery investigation against him, according to court documents cited by Russian media.

The criminal case was originally launched in April 2025, the same month Matsotsky left Russia. Investigators alleged that he paid bribes to Roman Filimoshin and Dmitry Shalaev, senior officials at the Federal Tax Service’s unit “Nalog-Service.”

According to the investigation, in exchange for the alleged payments, “Nalog-Service” procured software and equipment for the tax authority from Rubitech, a company founded by Matsotsky.

In May 2025, Matsotsky was formally charged in absentia with giving a bribe on an especially large scale. In June, he was placed on a federal wanted list and subsequently on an international wanted list.

The case was later suspended due to insufficient evidence, leading to the cancellation of both the arrest warrant in absentia and the international search.

However, authorities have now resumed the investigation, and Matsotsky has again been placed under arrest in absentia.

By Tamilla Hasanova