Marat Tambiyev received $73M in Bitcoin bribes, marking Russia's largest bribery case involving cryptocurrency.
Investigators uncovered Tambiyev's crypto wallets using access codes hidden in a file named Pension on his laptop.
Despite recovering one-third of the stolen Bitcoin, the whereabouts of the remaining cryptocurrency remain unknown.
Marat Tambiyev, a previous investigator for the Russian government, was handed a 16-year prison term on Tuesday for taking bribes mostly in the form of Bitcoin. As per Russian prosecutors, Tambiyev received around $73 million in Bitcoin from a criminal group he was investigating. This sum surpasses previous bribery cases in the country's modern history by more than five times.
The prosecution revealed that instead of confiscating all the assets from the crime group, Tambiyev arranged for more than half of the group’s Bitcoin to be transferred into his personal cryptocurrency wallets.
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Investigators discovered the access codes to the wallets on Tambiyev's laptop in a file labeled Pension. Consequently, the crime group was able to retain the remaining portion of their Bitcoin holdings.
A Bribe of Unprecedented Scale
The case marks the largest known Bitcoin-related bribery in Russia to date. Russian media highlighted the historical significance, emphasizing that Tambiyev's actions involved a significantly larger bribe than any previously recorded in Russia.
The extent of the bribery, along with the utilization of Bitcoin, highlighted the growing complexity of the tactics utilized by organized crime groups.
Even though prosecutors presented evidence, Tambiyev continued to assert his innocence during the trial. He claimed that his actions helped the state recover some of the stolen funds from the crime group.
However, investigators were able to recover only about one-third of the Bitcoin from Tambiyev’s wallets. The fate of the remaining cryptocurrency remains unclear.
Legal Actions and Future Appeals
Alongside Tambiyev, an alleged accomplice, Kristina Lyakhovenko, received a nine-year prison sentence. Prosecutors indicated that Lyakhovenko played a key role in facilitating the scheme. Both defendants plan to appeal their convictions, according to their legal teams.
The situation is one of many prominent corruption investigations in Russia, with numerous high-ranking officials implicated. Recent incidents have exposed a large number of financial crimes among prominent individuals in Russia. This has caused the authorities to increase their efforts in combating bribery and corruption.
Authorities around the world are putting up efforts to trace and reclaim illegal digital assets as cryptocurrency use in bribery cases rises. Tambiyev's situation highlights the increasing difficulty for authorities in stopping the illegal use of cryptocurrencies.
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