Russia opened a new investigation Tuesday into Alexei Navalny, raising pressure on one of Moscow’s most outspoken critics.
Russia’s Committee of Inquiry said in a statement that it was launching the new fraud investigation into allegations that it misused $ 5 million in donations to its Anti-Corruption Foundation and other companies.
Navalny’s founding has been the subject of a series of investigations by the Russian government, although he and his allies have said the investigations are attempts to undermine the opposition movement.
“It was found that for the needs of various non-profit organizations, including the Anti-Corruption Foundation … more than 588 million rubles [$7.9 million] they have been collected from individuals as donations, “the Research Committee said.” These funds were intended solely for the purposes of these foundations. “
The body specifically accused Navalny of spending more than $ 4.8 million on personal expenses, money the Committee of Inquiry said was “stolen.”
The announcement of the criminal investigation marks an intensification of Moscow’s efforts to squeeze Navalny. Authorities threatened to imprison Navalny for failing to serve his suspended sentence in an old case if he did not appear at a Tuesday hearing in Moscow. Navalny is currently in Germany receiving treatment for his intoxication in August and received ten hours notice to appear in court.
Moscow is believed to be behind the August attack on the opposition leader, which followed similar poisonings by other Kremlin critics.
Navalny said in an Instagram post that new cases against him were part of Moscow’s broader efforts to silence him for his criticism of the president. Vladimir Putin
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“It wasn’t that hard to predict. I said from the beginning … they will try to imprison me because I didn’t die on the plane and then I tracked down my killers. Because I proved that Putin was behind it and that he is a thief who is ready to kill those who refused to shut up about his theft, “Navalny said Tuesday.